*See our NEW Hi-Fi Blog pagelots of New Sections since Jan 2017 that add a wide range of Hi-Fi & Tech related subjects plus opinion on Hi-Fi News 1970-1980 as we read through.

CLASSIC HIFI: Revived, Restored, Upgraded & Reviewed.

Over 180 Vintage Amplifiers Reviewed

Covering mostly 1963-1978 but others from 1956 to 2007. Reviews of Vintage Receivers. Reviews of Vintage Amplifiers, Reviews of Vintage Valve Amplifiers, Reviews of Vintage Tube amplifiers. Vintage Amplfier Reviews Ranked against other amplifiers & receivers. What is the Best Pioneer amp? What is the Best Sony amp? What Amplifiers Upgrade Well? What problems do some Hifi amps always get? Which are the Best Looking Stylish Amplifiers. Why do I keep asking questions?

Reviews of Dozens of Amplifiers & Receivers mostly 1963-1978 & a few later. Rated by Direct Comparing with many others based on Aux input only. Vintage & Valve amps interest us, Post 1980 & huge 500w Amps are not our Bag... We are in the UK & our site covers amps mostly sold in the UK or Europe, though some Amps not available in the UK made it to the UK via Army-Navy stores exports.

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What Does This "Top Amps" Page Mean? Is Audio Still Important?As Technology advances with i-everything & everything ultra-portable, Audio Sound Quality has sadly been almost forgotten. Super HD pictures but most TVs still have crappy built-in speakers like they did over 30 years ago. The junk you see on the Gadget Show that they rate as "Excellent Sound" is laughably sad. How many actually connect their TV to the Hifi? It's not so easy now as Phono sockets aren't on most TVs but you can use a Scart to Phono on the TiVo box or a DAC. So today's technology usually ignores Hifi Quality, mumbly TV programmes we have trouble understanding even played loud on Hifi. People actually do understand Vintage Hifi sounds more pleasant to listen to & even some budget 1970s gear of 15w will be a nicer sound than just about anything modern that has a cold emotionless sound. You read on ebay they tried it out, like the sound yet are still selling it. We are entirely self-taught with our ideals of Hifi Sound & it's been many years in the learning, you don't perfect your ideals overnight. This page is us initially randomly getting any amp that appealed to see what it was like & after many hours of comparing, a ranking of Amplifiers can be made. You'll never find any of this in a quick Shop or Home demo & we've been using Headphones only to get the amps sounding right, without the blurring that Loudspeakers in a room adds. Hifi rating is far more critical on Headphones. After that, spealkers get tried as Speaker matching gets another page as not all amps match all speakers, see our Loudspeakers page. The ideal in Hifi is a sound so effortless it seems surreal, no harsh edges, no rough treble or boomy bloated bass. A tranquil Summer afternoon by a Riverside or a brash annoying visit to a big City is the difference. That lazy Summer afternoon isn't tame though, it's fresh & natural with the lowest amount of artifact. You can pick out a fieldmouse rustling through the undergrowth or a jet plane searing through the sky with a sonic boom, all clear to be heard. And yet today's Audio is heavily compressed & simplistic to suit playing through a Mobile Phone tiny speaker. How far from Audio Reality it has gone? The best Hifi can deliver so much more. It can awaken your Weary Soul. Some of the amps in our page can come close to this & even nearer after upgrading. Plenty below we recommend. But upgrading is not for the newbie to jump into without years of Hifi learning. Please don't experiment on collectable & wanted Vintage Amps, go play around with cheap 1980s ones.

Please Don't Just Read This Page Like It's A Shopping List Without Understanding Why...We did get messages asking for two amplifiers often in 2017... We only want the Trio-Kenwood KA-6000 & Sony TA-1120(A)... How do you know they are what you want? KA-6000 is from 1969 & is 48 years old, the TA-1120 is from 1965 & is 52 years old and the TA-1120A is from 1967 & is 50 years old. These are very old amps. They need a Full Rebuild to be anywhere near how we rate them. Buy them raw & aged, they'll not be much good unless you get one of the late run ones from c.1971 before they were ended. From our page hits, the majority of page hits are just looking for The Best Amps. Best according to what criteria? Read our site deeper & find out. We've found ones asking for those 2 amps have barely read a thing on the site & tell us they'd still need to hear it. Have you even heard any amp pre 1979? We don't think many just going for the same few have, you're just picking off the obvious ones unaware of what you are doing even. Stop Looking For Easy Answers. There is no Perfect Amp on this page, though there will be plenty that are right for you. Could be a 1966 18w amp, a 1969 45w amp or a 110w 1978 amp. Do Your Research, read our site more. No other Hifi site gives as much info as we do, it's there For You To Read, so Educate yourself. You Need To Try A Few Amps To Find Your Best. Just like in life looking for a Partner. To go for the obvious ones may not be what you need. Read our Blog page, lots more opinions of the Amps we play ourselves. Yes, we have both the TA-1120 & KA-6000 amps ourselves as Reference Amps. They look very nice with wood cases or side panels & the matching tuner, they are Reference Amps. BUT... they need A LOT of work done to rebuild them to be the Quality we go on about. They are NOT perfect, they are NOT the last word in Vintage Hifi. We play them sometimes but other amps are on the Speakers more often, if mainly as they are ones more recently here. (TA-1120 we've since sold). We still upgrade the KA-6000 but keep the TA-1120 'original' beyond recapping & transistors, it could improve more, but it's a good Reference to hear one still as close original-to-the-design as possible. Prices on TA-1120 are currently overpriced & this is getting readers thinking these amps are the best there is. No they aren't really & to get into one isn't cheap. To buy either usually from the USA with shipping & import charges could be a £400-£500 buy. To fully rebuild the KA-6000 or TA-1120A to a high standard by us will cost you in excess of the buy price, not far off double what we put to buy one from the USA. Add up the figures. But you've never heard any amp like this, but do you still want to jump in? We do say for those not aware of Vintage Hifi, buy one of our cheaper recapped-upgraded amps on our Sales Page to see what it's all about. SPEND TIME & read our site more than just the Review pages as you won't have much idea of what Vintage Hifi is about. A rebuilt TA-1120A might sound awful on your speakers, we say one bad match with just that amp on the Loudspeakers page. 50w isn't enough power to drive Low Sensitivity Loudspeakers (86dB or less), you'll be pushing the amp into Distortion. You'll think you've wasted your money by buying a great amp that's not suitable for your needs. We can play 18w amps to a good volume on 95dB sensitivity 15" speakers. How big are yours? 6" or 8" bass drivers with 84dB sensitivity? Then 50w isn't enough power for you. Read the site for more info.

Why Do People Want Old Hifi? Isn't New Better?We had the VM guy bring a new TiVo as the old one had issues. Takes time to set up so to have a chat. This guy is clearly a technical type & is older than us. "Why do people want old hifi? Isn't New better?" he asked. We were a little surprised at that, if perhaps he is trained in general electronics as in 'Book Smarts' rather than vintage crazy upgrades doing things few try like is how we do it & we certainly get delighted buyers. Why Old is better is for the lack of tight budget constraints, pricing to the penny to be competitive is one. All Hifi is made to a price & usually to be Good Enough, but not too good so you don't buy another one in a few years. We bring out the Best from Amplifiers by Upgrading which is strictly Custom Work. Early Transistor designs like the 1965 Sony TA-1120 & 1966 Akai AA7000 are luxurious price no object designs made from scratch based on Valve Amp designs. Those two amps are certainly a few of the best in vintage, if they need a total rebuild to be their best, they are over 50 years old now. For the mastery of the designer, a pure sound is possible, with huge effortless dynamics. Treble so pure, Midrange so effortless & Deep Bass. The Sony & Akai look great too as money was spent on making them look great, the Akai especially is probably the first "Designer" Hifi & should be heralded as an important Design, but it's been forgotten.

Us & The Recent Growth Of Vintage HifiBefore we started doing these pages, Vintage Hifi was still sleeping. Initially we just had One Page in 2011 covering Old Record Players but then started getting Old Amplifiers & Receivers. As we've added more and more pages we've seen confidence in Vintage Hifi grow hugely. We take a non-technical view of Hifi making it approachable to a wider audience. This gives potential buyers a Confidence in Hifi they'll consider to buy. Look back at old Forums from 2010 & before & their range is very limited. At the time all that seemed to sell were the big Silver Monster Receivers from 1977-79. 1970s Yamaha especially have grown in popularity because we told the world how good they were & the interest in the 1960s-1975 transistor era was largely unknown until we got these & saw how good many were. We used to look at the TVK site to get ideas of amps to try, if their bias was less on the early stuff we've researched. Forums were difficult as it seems every amp good or average is raved about. Plenty of sites now give data & manuals about Vintage Hifi, the best is HFE, but there aren't many reviewing them. Actually there are None Like Us, this page with it's forever updated opinions on Amplifiers we've had to Service, Repair & Upgrade is Unique, but we do it to Advance The Scene as we like these amps & the sounds they play. Vintage Hifi by it's nature is old, amps we cover are 35-50 years old but can be good for years more use if Serviced. To review them as raw amps, as Serviced & as Upgraded tells much. If we give a confident opinion on an amp & you can read many more pages of our opinion, you'll feel more sure to try it. We heard of a few trying the Sansui 3000A when we first rated it highly & they will only have bought it based on our opinion. We see other sites getting more into the reviewing Vintage, even What Hifi are covering these if Hifi News Ken Kessler was doing his Anachrophile in the Mid 1980s. The prices Vintage Hifi goes for is getting higher if it's still early days, as we used to see with Vintage Vinyl as we helped it grow in the 1990s. If you buy a Vintage Amp based on reading these pages, be sure the amps themselves are grateful you took an interest in them.

Why Do We Like The Pre 1972 Hifi More?Reading through the Hifi News magazine, it reveals the Marketplace for Hifi exactly as it happened. The HFN mag itself is not really as essential reading as we hoped, not much is reviewed, lots of waffly pointless articles & more beyond Amplifiers. Most of the ads are repeated every month & the LP reviews are 99% Classical which is ridiculously narrow-minded & they are so snobby about Pop. In 1966 the Retail Price Management (RPM) was abolished on Electrical goods, nothing much happened if a growing few Discount Shops were around by late 1968 including Comet who started with just one store. 1969 sees a big increase in Budget package deals & Cheapness is the main virtue, Quality is still there but why buy a £109 Trio KA6000 when you can by an amp of lesser quality & power for £30 or less (1970 prices). These cheap "stereos" are crap we avoid, cheap UK & EU brands & some are Japanese, none are USA, but Japan still makes the Best Stuff. The UK brands are ugly outdated looking 10w or less efforts & you can get amp, speakers & a turntable for £65. a step up from the Radiogram which is losing favour, but for the few of these you see today, they were binned long ago. Pre 1969 the Manufacturers could make quality goods & be sure of getting the prices, but by early 1970 you see 30% discounts even on the Big Brands. The issue of after sales service the shops offered when you paid the full price became difficult, as the public naively expect 30% discount & the same service. By 1970, most bought cheap crap "stereos" and they probably lasted 5 years before they broke & off they went to buy the latest budget junk. This continued into the early 1990s with cheap plastic "systems" until CD changed things. Pre 1970 there still is cheap junk, lots of 10w transistor amps & budget gear, but still a lot of good stuff. The Good Stuff was still around to 1979 & beyond, as there is today, but the mass market cheap disposable junk is the main product. Past 1980 the IC dominates & more cheapness, but as Amstrad & Ratners know, there is a big market for crap as many don't know a taste of better, or can afford it. Today we can cherry pick the past & get amps that would be £2500 in today's money for not much so can taste the Best Of The Past, but to think these 40 year old + items are plug & play is naive, they always need Servicing & Often need a rebuild, if generally people use them raw until they break down. But good amps pre 1974 in general are forever repairable & have far more musical pleasure than even the best 1980s amps. We often think we've found all the good ones, then a surprise good one turns up.

The Hifi We Cover In Our Pages.We look out for Hifi of a certain quality & age that we can relate to, from knowing it years ago or it being familiar from old Hifi Books, Magazines & having similar amps. There is a huge amount of Budget-Midprice gear plus the UK-EU brands that we have tried a few of, but generally have lost interest fast & tend to avoid it now as it doesn't inspire. To say we are Already Snobby about Hifi perhaps is harsh, but not to say some of these aren't great value, Leak & Goodmans amps are a great start into Vintage, but as with anything, man craves better if he is aware of it being out there, even in theory. As with Records, this is a Vinyl 45s Site after all, the lesser items have faded away, yet the market is still there for them, the rewards are thin for the effort. The amps we cover are Better Midprice to Top Of The Range. This Top Of The Range gear may seem quite low powered compared to later years, but it's the Best Amp of It's Era & it was expensive to buy new & it was rarely cost cut until the mid 1970s. Depending on the Economy, some years got a lot of expensive Hifi sold yet tighter years has people go to the Discount Stores, as they still wanted music of the old one failed. As an example, the busiest years in Hifi in the 1970s seem to be 1977-79, the Disco & John Travolta era so many high priced amps like Yamaha, Pioneer, Trio, Sansui etc sold well. To those who prefer Modern High-End, as in Hifi edging into £10K territory, we don't have much for you here if all that catches your eye is the price. But to forget the Quality of these Vintage Quality Hifi for only being 40w, 75w. Those big 100w+ amps not as sweet sounding as the pure musicality of the Best Ones will generally exceed the Megabucks ones which are designed to be Loud but not exactly Real Hi-Fi. Depends on your attitude really & whether things are beneath you high up your Ivory Tower. Most Hifi Buyers are not willing to spend much more than £200-£500 on Hifi as a look at Amazon shows. The amps we sell best are ones of around 40w-50w with Receivers or Amplifiers both wanted. The better Hifi would be like Pearls Before Swine, but as with anything in life, you need to learn it & experience it to appreciate it's 'betterness' which is difficult as high quality can be at one price, but anything appreciably better can be 5 to 10 times the price. The amps we cover are generally found for under £500 & for ones we Upgrade to Sell, usually done for our own interest, need to be priced right to sell, rather than outprice them as we found selling serviced Leak Delta 70s for over £100 a few years ago, the status of these amps keeps them at a certain level. Some of the Best Vintage as Original or Upgraded, if you heard it & used it at home, you may have been happy paying twice the price for in theory, but you wouldn't have in reality as the market level isn't there yet for there to be the trust to pay £1000+ for anything but those 150w ones. As of typing (2016?), we have two of the same excellent amp, one we spent months fully upgrading just to see how far it could go & how good we are, but the other one to sell we'll recap-upgrade only to a certain level to get a certain price. The reality of what the fully upgraded one should sell for would more than double the price and probably alienate the market as does when ebayers put our Serviced & Upgraded prices on raw amps which ruins the market for months as everyone just copies rather than leads. But the Vintage Hifi market still is very young, not seeing the value translated into their worthy prices just yet, though it has altered a lot since we started these pages. To say we had a big hand in popularising Vintage Hifi in the last few years is fair, with our Pages For The People, rather than the same dry biased 'Book Smart' rhetoric that is usually Hifi writing. Upgrading is very worth the effort, if currently it's still not much understood. Those into spending Big Money on Hifi generally aren't yet interested in Vintage, unaware of just how much more musical some modest amps can be. Where will we go with this next?

OUR CRITERIA OF WHAT IS GOOD SOUNDThis site has many pages, if we've put several similar on one page with an Index to keep page counts lower, see the Menu bar as Hifi subjects are wide ranging. Pages we used to have like "The Golden Age Of Hifi" tells about the 1963-77 era, the "What Makes Better Hifi" are sections that used to be on this page explaining what we see as Real Hifi Sound, these are now contained on one page under 'Criteria'. See the "Loudspeakers" & "Advice On Buying" pages. Some of these pages were written a few years ago & we do read through them occasionally to make sure they are still what we preach if so much means some is still 2013-2014 opinion. We read others reviewing Hifi & quickly realise they don't understand the item at all. Your ideas of sound can be way off what others like, some play harsh speakers & love them, some play bass way too loud & thick sounding. Others are hair-shirt wearers & insist on Flat Settings Only, unaware that source Direct is often far from what they think. The best Hifi isn't really "there" as in you don't feel like you are listening to Loudspeakers, in recent comparing of Tannoy Gold 12" & 15" we really could tell a huge difference. Amplifiers can be difficult in comparing as one may be less neutral & leave the most neutral supposedly dull sounding. Then there's speaker matching troubles. Plenty of that on this site, Our Opinions made from Our Research based on the ability to upgrade & redesign as well as know Music very well, this is a Record Sales site after all. We don't bother with flowery language about how some track you don't know sounds, we play some test tracks often on amps & they can sound quite different from amp to amp. Again we favour the Neutral sound, but there is no Sin in using Tone Controls. Knowing good sound takes learning, to see fools selling Brand New Hifi with 5 hours use in the pre 2009 days showed how clueless these people are. You need to live with a Hifi item for a week or two to understand it fully. some amps we keep on our speakers for daily use for just this reason. On high quality big Speakers even a fairly ordinary but Good amp can sound surprisingly good, if it will never have been played with speakers way out of it's league, it shows some modest amps are far better than opinions of ago thought. We do our critical testing, upgrading & redesign on headphones as the finesse once heard on headphones will subtly reveal itself on speakers, if speakers suffer from the effects of the room with reflections smoothing roughness away unless your hifi ears are as tuned to the best quality as we can notice. Smaller speakers with boxy colouration to the sound & gritty treble on cheap tweeters can make even the best amp sound disappointing, as can poor matching. So we only rate 'Original spec' but serviced amps no higher than 'Very Good' for the simple fact many can upgrade to be a superior item. Not just better as superficially more exciting, but of a finer quality. The rest of the write-up will tell you more. The ratings are based on headphone use & to match to a speaker may not be as easy as you want, but our Loudspeakers page explains more.

Comparing to Vintage 'Hifi News' ReviewsSome of these amps get reviewed in the HFN magazine so it's interesting to read the opinions when new compared to us playing them decades later, with the issues of aging often overcome & bettered by upgrading. The trouble with the reviews pre mid 1980s is very little is subjective & there are no comparisons to earlier Hifi which is how the thinner sounding Differential era amplifiers went unnoticed. Here we play 1965-67 hifi to compare with any age of Hifi & as well as upgrading, the later post 1971 just hasn't got that sound that amps pre 1969 have. Many of the amps below aren't reviewed by HFN but other mags will, but we'll only be getting the HFN set. The reviews in any mag pre mid 1980s are generally just descriptive & technical, some technical to the point of wondering who cared or could apply such info to deciding which one to buy. There is no real commenting on how smooth, crisp, natural bass or how wide-deep Stereo soundstage is. This is all subjective & relies on the reviewer understanding music quality for pleasure. Similarly with Vinyl Records, we care about the Music & the Original 45, unless it's important to understand the track, to know who's playing on it or to hear the artist perform it live decades later doesn't interest us.

Ones We've Tried Only Listed Here...See theOTHER AMPS page for others we looked at 2012-2015 but didn't like or try yet for various reasons, plenty of amps there get a look. We research all amps before trying them, to be sure they are worth a try & to avoid ICs in preamps etc, as you can see below some we had early on were not worth bothering with. There are plenty more on the Other amps page that we look closely at via the circuits if we see one & either dismiss it or try it. We take little interest in accepted opinions that were around on Vintage amps, a few years ago only the Monster Receivers & 100w+ amps got interest, without buyers realising these oversized things don't sound as musical as the earlier ones. Some amps like the Quad 33/303 are often on ebay but we've never liked the amp & have looked deeply into the circuits to prove our opinion right. Others who've not heard the amount of Hifi we have will find items impressive compared to Modern Hifi but not realise how lacking they are. British Hifi we've tried all the main brands but don't rate them as high as the superior Japanese-USA amps & we are a UK based site after all. It's too easy to fill the site with salty comments about how poor much of the overhyped overpriced modern gear, but to highlight the best not the also-rans is the idea. We tried the 2007 Marantz PM6002 to see what it was like, seeing it was mostly transistors. There are many 'sleepers' in the Hifi ranges that we've uncovered & we do have a preference for the 1967-73 era simply as it brings us better amps more readily than later or earlier even. We usually stick to 40w or more but if you are happy with 10w or 20w there may be some early transistor ones that sound as nice too, if in a lower powered way. If an amp stirs your soul & makes you happy listening to it, then it's a good one.

As an idea of where we started with these Top Amps, the first amps we upgraded properly were the Hacker gram, the Leak 2000 & the Realistic receiver. The first amps we sold as Serviced were Bang & Olufsen Beomasters, Leak Deltas & 2000 & Trio-Kenwood 1967-70 era. Then finding these interesting started trying more adventurous ones like Pioneer SX-950, NAD 160, the ill-fated Marantz 1152DC and the Yamaha CR-1000, CR-1020, CA-1000 & CA-1010. The first upgraded amp we sold interestingly was the Leak Delta 75 receiver, the only one of four that survived. These hifi pages only started in 2011 & within a year we'd sold a lot of Serviced amps on ebay, but we avoid ebay now for selling hifi for reasons other sellers do. As some opinions are now getting a few years old, we'll put a year date on the reviews to give an idea of how opinions changed as upgrading got far more intense.

These pages are entirely Our Opinion. We only cover what we are interested in, we have no agenda, no advertisers, no bias & no need to pretend a 700w amp costing £20k is the best when some 'crappy little amp' you all ignored for £30 sounds better than many other transistor amps we've heard. Some people need to show off with overpriced 'status symbol' hifi as with any fool-and-his-money type goods, this site isn't for you therefore, so why reveal your ignorance? We know our pages have helped Vintage Hifi along a lot, together with many other sites listing amp info & manuals. Read the old forums from pre 2010 & see the opinions we've helped alter. Our site is unique as we rate many amps together & upgrade them to be their best, just to see how good they are. We also offer Upgrades & Repairs, see the Menu bar. We don't sell Snake Oil.Our Amplifier RankingsThese have been rated based on current ideas & can be reassessed, read on... We rate amps as simply "Excellent" "Very Good" and "Recommended" without any reference to out of ten scores now, based as it being Excellent for what it is & amid other similar of the same era,. ie 1967 to 1977. By reading the comments you can see "Excellent" will have ones more Excellent than others, but to avoid the risk of people thinking only a few amps that we know as upgraded are the Best isn't fair to be saying. Our descriptions will reveal the ones of 'higher excellence' than other 'excellent' ones, but once an amp upgraded gets 'excellent' be sure it's a good amp to upgrade & worth the effort of us upgrading. For the fact Amps & Speakers don't all match well, to rate higher than 'excellent' may not be excellent to you if a 1967 amp doesn't match 1992 speakers. Any amp Rated Very Good (previously 'Great' was the same level of quality) or higher is the pick of Vintage Hifi that we've tried. We are based in the UK & so we see UK & EU sold amps, if sadly not enough of the more obscure USA & Japanese ones. Any amp to be featured here must be better than Average. There is no higher rating than Excellent, read the details for more info. When we did give ratings it was based then on the knowledge of only using Transistor amps. If we were to rate them against a perfected Valve Amp it'd be unrealistic as valves are just so much better sounding when done right, but we are now finding the Best Transistor amps are outdoing Valves. Our ratings are taken to be rated against the best Transistor Amps only therefore. A "Recommended" for example, on the rough Pioneer SX-950 is in light of better amps are there for your money, though many buy these big cost-cut amps as they haven't got too deep into Vintage Hifi yet to find better. But even there, we are finding Pioneer were very cost cut & put too many Spoilers in these amps & upgrading them we are finding they are actually respectable amps. With progress in our upgrading we are seeing the levels of Fidelity from Transistor amps get higher, so now the "Excellent" rating is used more sparingly & many are now just Recommended because we do recommend you buy one if it appeals to you. Also 'Average' and 'Hopeless' are used, Average being no better than any £20-50 late 1970s to modern amp. Hopeless are just that awful amps you should avoid.

Japanese & USA Hifi gets the Best Ratings. We are UK based so got to try a lot of UK & imported Amps plus ones that were never sold in the UK but got brought in by other ways. We've been reading the Hifi News magazine from 1956-80 and by 1966 the Imported Hifi of all types, except Loudspeakers are becoming more numerous & the reviewers are liking them, even based on old WW2 ideas, they are seeing the USA & Japanese hifi to be so much better in spec & looks than the UK gear which is being seen as 'Old Fashioned' as brands will not update their drab looks to get Overseas buyers. UK Tuners still only went to 100 or 104 if the EU market wants 88-108 FM range so they limit themselves & it's why many brands vanished between 1965 & 1975. Look at our 'Solds Gallery' the UK amps are not attractive if they are usually no better than Mid Price with Leak & Rogers being the main players. Look at our ratings, UK gear is often 'Recommended' rarely 'Very Good' even when upgraded. We've tried, but the UK & EU stuff is just not as good as Japanese & USA gear. By the late 1980s UK Cottage Industry brands change things as we used to see UK brands like Tube Technology making effort to make attractive valve amps, if their circuits were pretty mediocre & safe sounding, well worth upgrading. We'd Recommend the UK Leak, Rogers, Goodmans & Sugden amps as 'starter amps' but generally the UK gear is pretty average in nlooks & midprice quality. The only UK amp as Upgraded we rated "Excellent" was the Rogers HG88 Mk III, if that's based on our upgrades. For Modern Hifi, the Linn & Naim way of selling ugly limited gear we never liked, a turntable that only plays 33rpm is of no use to us. You could buy upgrades & power supplies & other junk that showed you were being sold lesser gear to need upgrades. Every good amp we get we upgrade to see how good it is. Some we consider the 'higher excellent' were often pretty lousy as original but we see potential in the circuits & go further with upgrading than anyne else would dare. Each amp upgraded is still on a learning curve, to forever learn rathe than think you know it all & be sure we've upgraded amps & found new ideas to think 'wish we had that amp to do that with' and will revisit amps if we find one. The Audio World of today is not really Hifi to us, Hifi being "State Of The Art" and if we can upgrade amps from 1965-66 to get remarkable quality, it shows Hifi design in Transistors was better if they were limited by spec & availability. We only hear the 50 years aged version. Today electrical goods are on the wane, the current 2015-16 'Gadget Show' is full ofg internet & gaming as Tech has been combined so much, what else is there? Audio gear they show is laughable tiny speakers & whether the Linn-Naim way of upgrading is popular in new items probably still is 'yes' as the things still make good prices online. But as with anything, these devoted "i-phone" type blind-followers don't know what "better" sounds like. We hear our upgraded "special" amps that we upgrade for our interest & then sell on are being compared to £20,000+ hifi & be sure the musicality of our creations is always preferred to anything. Comparing 1960s 10w-18w amps to 300w "monsters" the beauty & subtlety of Good Vintage will please the ears more, if "that silly little thing" isn't so silly once upgraded. There are others out there doing upgrades, but we see we are way up the ladder in our research & skills to what else we see. If you want a taste of our "sound" some amps we buy may be sold cheaper as condition issues, if the amps sound great.

We Grade our Hifi across the board with a 1963 amp rated equally against a 1977 one, no going easy on any amp here, but not Daring to go Higher than "Excellent" which is equivalent to "First Class". We aren't bothered by commercial bias or are here to massage egos on ones we don't like, though we hear many happy readers who've taken our word on an amp & been delighted by the amp. This is the intention of this, to get the Hifi Scene realising how many "Sleepers" there are in Hifi. Before we started these pages, we used to see the same High Powered amps making big prices but buyers, not knowing where else to try & not wishing to gamble, generally ignored most other Amps. There are many other Hifi sites out there helping us with Service Manuals & Photos of amps inside & out, but you'll not find another that rates amps against each other. Some we've had a while ago now but generally the opinions on what is liked or not is matched on revisiting ones from ago.

Updated: Now Which Are The Best Ones?
For All Original but Serviced amps, the rating "Very Good" is the best you'll get, to rate higher as all original plus being 30-50 years old isn't really possible. If an Amp can be upgraded to sound Excellent, then it wasn't Excellent before, but Very Good shows it's of a good quality & without narrowing things too much. Be sure buyers just go for the Best Rated without any thought if it would suit their needs. Knowing excellence from some amps that have gone further than others. Upgrading as we do is a very different game & from what we know and see elsewhere, no-one has our upgrade skills so we are pretty much alone in this. But it is done to the better amps to see how good they can be & desite rating them "Excellent" there are grades of Excellence but we'll not grade higher to not limit things. But the thing is as our upgrades go further & the more we play valves, to be fair to these amps to rate them afresh as really no amp ever made can really rate higher than "Very Good" & this is reflected clearer now. Our References are in both Transistor & Valve amps.

Ratings based on Headphone and Loudspeaker use.
We use Headphones to test Amps initially & Headphones to get the amps sounding their best. We then use Loudspeakers to see how well the amp can drive our 1967 Tannoy 15" Golds. Some amps don't match our Tannoys too well & this we note on the Loudspeakers page that reveals how well they sounded to us. We sometimes try reliable serviced but Original amps on the speakers to see how they will have sounded when new with the original design. Both Headphones & Loudspeakers are required to really tell how an amp sounds, speakers alone have too much Room Blurring to tell & some amps can sound better on Speakers way ahead of their class, but on Headphones they reveal the weaknesses. Great Amp on Headphones means Great Amp on Speakers less often as not all match the speakers, Using Headphones is a great leveller of how an amp sounds. To use Headphones lets you hear far more of the Amplifier than on Speakers. Amps that may sound quite similar on Headphones can sound hugely different on Speakers, this is due to how well they match. High quality efficient speakers can actually make a fairly ordinary amp sound great, so to be sure to rate them via headphones. One famous brand sounds ok but unexceptional on headphones, but on speakers they initially sounded great, if longer listening revealed the weaknesses. If it sounds great on Headphones, it'll sound great on Speakers, assuming they match. See the Loudspeakers page for more as matching can be tricky. On Headphones, the Power amp drives the Headphones via a Resistor so direct coupling to Headphones doesn't happen which allows for a Level Playing Field, as a 1967 & 1977 amp may sound very different on Speakers for the Matching, or may sound as good. Loudspeakers Are Important Too. All amps we sell are tested on speakers, 1969 Tannoy Monitor Gold 15" ones, to be sure they can drive a speaker & are stable. But to do the main testing & upgrading is done with Headphones & test speakers, we don't try amps on our speakers until we are confident with them. Some amps we have used a few weeks on the speakers before selling as the sound was interesting to us. As you can see from the Loudspeakers page many amps we have tested on our main Speakers to see how they match, just so we can add it to that page. For ones we rate highly, the idea is they sound great on headphones & on speakers. We've never had one that sounds great on speakers but bad on headphones. Some modest amps can sound surprisingly good on speakers way out of their class. Not all amps match, the Differential era ones don't match earlier speakers so well, if only two we've found were unlistenable, but will suit later speakers far better.

Keep It As Original or Upgrade It?
Since 2016 we only Upgrade Amps & choose ones we think are worth our time to get to work on, plus ones we get from Customers to Upgrade. The 'Collector' scene in having 1960s amps in Original Condition like Museum Pieces will be looking for unopened boxes, not used Hifi, so there is no need not to do our Subtle Upgrades & fit 4mm Speaker Sockets as the buyer wishes, if we'll only fit 4mm Sockets to look good, some of the spring connectors are too narrow spaced to look right. To look Professional & realise a new owner may be in the future & not do jobs we don't see suitable just to do it, we'll say it'd not look right. There are some early amps that are more Collectors' Items than Hifi for Modern use. We've kept a few amps as All Original for Reference for a while, but as with the National-Panasonic SA65 we soon found it needed recapping as the sound was louder on one channel, but to recap-upgrade it but leaving the rest as Original as it's such a strong reference. Another one we like, the Trio-Kenwood KA-6000 we'd never upgraded originally, but did get the receiver equivalent TK-140E and X to see the sound it could bring, but in the end upgraded the KA-6000. In the future will there be a tiny want for 'Survivor' amps as there is with Vintage Cars, the Chasing Classic Cars series has highlighted this, but be sure no Car or Amp from 70 years ago will be fully original as parts perish, capacitors being the issue with Hifi. No 1932 high voltage Electrolytic Capacitor still works but in our Pye G/GR Gram the smaller value ones are still working, if probably off spec, but it's not for Hifi use. To upgrade a Car to bring the best out of it we see a lot on TV, putting a brand new engine in a 1960s Corvette will make a better car but for some it's too modern. But whatever is done to Cars or Hifi, to keep it working & being appreciated by new people is the thing as they'll cherish it when we're dust. We'd not be happy if our 1932 Gram stopped working even being pretty mediocre as it is now, it'd be made to at least work. As an opportune advert for Our Upgrading Service, all we do is done to keep things as original as possible, even if noticeable parts could be bettered, the Charm of Original Parts beyond electrolytics is important. The Sony TA-1120A keeps it's kooky red capacitors is an example. Another one is if the amp had black or grey main capacitors, we'd not put bright blue ones in that show through the grille. In watching Car shows on TV, we like the Restore to Original ones, allowing subtle upgrades like Mike & Edd do, but the Hot Rod-Custom scene is awful as they butcher cars that should be left original looking, if perhaps the market for them is way less than the ugly thing they create thinking it's cool... But with all Vintage Hifi pre 1972, if you want to use it regularly, it needs to be recapped or failures could be expensive to repair. Past 1972 to 1980 you can probably still use the capacitors if the amp has been serviced, but be sure it can be bettered by recapping & upgrading. Some amps are better made than others & some have been used & stored differently to have aged differently. Only once you've heard aged amps rebuilt will you understand how tired & lifeless they can sound.

IMPORTANT: These ratings are based on a Serviced & Adjusted Original Spec Amp
Most vintage amps are raw out of storage & will sound very different to the point you may think they are utter rubbish. Only really the late 1970s Monster Amps were used for longer which may mean they have been used a lot more than an attic find that saw 2-3 years use. But it's like a Car, leave it 30 years in a Garage & then try to drive it, only a fool would expect it to be working it's best after a long sleep. Hifi is no different but many just use the amp unaware of how good it could be. As with a Car, bad faults may appear within minutes of first use. Note some amps are unusable through aging of noted failure of capacitors until you fully recap & rebuild them & are not for home tinkerers to be fiddling with, though many do. Most amateur sellers are cautious with valve amps but will plug any transistor amp in without having it checked even. Some amps sound rough & weak until serviced & adjusted. The difference in a few we list below like Yamaha CR-1000, Luxman L-100 & Trio-Kenwood KA-6000 from before & after was very different. On the other end of it, the Leak Delta 30/70 doesn't sound much different serviced or not if in good condition. We're adding in all amps we can remember from over the years & 15-25 years ago these were still used & working items obviously years younger than today, so to rate them is possible. In 1990 a 1972 B+O amp wasn't that old as well as probably still being used, it had not sat in a damp loft for years yet, but they often look very aged inside now.

WHAT GETS THE RATINGSThis means rating the Sound Quality of the Amp & are now done with "AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced)" meaning what an original unaltered amp will sound like After Servicing which in certain amps would include required capacitor replacements to get it to work. Any amp unserviced & left unused for decades can sound truly awful so no point grading anything but the Serviced amp. Most people never service amps & it means way more than a squirt of switch cleaner too. "UPGRADED" means what it sounds like done to the best of our skills or how far we chose to go at the time we had it, bear in mind each amp teaches more & our upgrades now are way ahead of some of the earlier ones. "n/a" means we've never upgraded one to any level so won't guess, but assume the amps in the main table will improve to some degree as these are the better amps we've tried. We've not tried all the amps we'd like to yet, so some brands are absent currently. Current ratings are based on current opinions on Hifi which with deeper improvements are more harsh than before, but any "Recommended" are still worthy amps if there is better. Some amps we rated higher early on, only to find better amps to use as Benchmarks for "Excellent". Some of the amps in the lower table that were more borderline have gone into the main one, to be fairer to them, so the Bad Amps table is now just the stinkers. We've been adding in more notable amps we've had over the years that were still clearly remembered so are valid to be adding in with more recent ones.

BETTER THAN EXCELLENT?To not create too much elitism, 'Excellent' is our highest rating. On one amp, the 1967 National Panasonic SA-65 it previously rated 'Excellent' as original & upgraded. Not that it didn't improve, but as original it was good enough to be 'Excellent' & upgraded in the higher end of Excellent, but that's not too helpful. A 'Very Good' amp genuinely is Very Good. if having heard the 'Excellent' ones there is a difference, especially on headphones. On speakers however a Very Good or Excellent sounds quite similar, we've tried enough on Speakers to know now. In 1980s Hifi we say elsewhere the Pioneer A-400 is considered by others the apparent best amid the awful mid 1980s hifi. Grading Turds is how we call it & similarly at the Top End grading 'Excellent' is indeed possible. But we aren't going to. We find the 1965-69 era most pleasing to our ears, but you can see over our years doing this, plenty of 1970-80 era ones we liked too & do regrade all amps as we find higher quality as per our upgrading. As we hear more amps once we upgrade them, many are settling on "Excellent" but to downgrade them would be wrong, excellence is there for sure as others will agree. But they can be very different in tonal balance as no two amp designs sound identical. A few amps have certainly exceeded others but again we'll leave Excellent as the highest.

LOWER MODELS IN THE SAME RANGEBy 1976 ranges, the Top Of The Line amp we are finding is a bit overdesigned. With Pioneer SX-939, the SX-838 is a better design to us. So you can assume will have similar ideals to the bigger models, but after having tried some, the 20-35w versions will be a smaller sounding amp to keep the level at which distortion sets in within the design. Therefore the lower amp ranges will exhibit some qualities of the bigger amps, but a much more polite small sound as well as the risks of cost cutting with ICs that became common by the mid 1970s. So a Yamaha CR-400 will not sound much like the CR-1000 but will be more like the CR-800 but again the limited power will keep the spec lower to avoid bad clipping as it reaches it's maximums. Now we've had the CR-400 the sound from an 18w amp was much better than expected. In the pre cost cutting era of the Mid 1970s, different models can sound very different amid a range.

BUY-RAW RATINGThis means just that. What it'll be like as-found if in nice but forgotten condition assuming there is otherwise no damage to the circuits or other common safety issues. It'll still need Servicing, but the idea is to show amps with known problems beyond general ones. Some amps we've found badly fiddled with or badly repaired regardless of the status of the amp today, so beware. Also some higher power amps of any era got partied hard as well as ones stored in damp conditions can need a huge amount of work to get back to being safe & reliable & sometimes even we give up if it's not financially viable. The (bracketed date) is the last time we had the amp to put our opinions into a time context, as we are getting some again as the Revisited section notes. Some we'll never try again as they aren't the sort to upgrade or were a nightmare to work on.

THE HIFI-COOL RATINGBecause we know what Style is in Hifi & have had enough of these amps, to help the scene realise the Beauty in some of these amps, we'll be hedonistic & give them a Cool Rating, like Mike does on Wheeler Dealers: Trading Up. Our tastes appreciate good furniture, cars, advertising signs & retro style so we can give a good idea how cool your amp looks. Receivers with the tuner stages generally look cooler than plain amplifiers, if some amps have a Bachelor Pad style that adds to the Cool Rating. Go read & see if you agree, many are pictured on the Amps We Sold page & when we get a chance, more will be added. As women like vintage items too, generally the ones that score high in our Cool Rating will have high Woman Appeal too. "Come up & see my Cool Amplifier collection, darling" is the new Etchings for the modern-retro favouring male. We started the Best Looking Amps page a few years ago & this is the basis for this. All amps we have on this page we have photos of so to refer to them to remember them in hand is possible. Ratings are 1 for an ugly beast to 9 for the Best Lookers, as with 'Excellent' being the Highest Hifi rating, we don't want to create too much elitism here, a 7 rated amp is still a good one, but 5 is average.

ABBREVIATIONSTo add more to the listings, the design type of the Power Amp: CC= capacitor coupled, SC= semi complimentary, FC = fully complimentary, DIFF = differentials in power amp early stage, IC= ICs in the main audio preamp, tone or power amp if not noting Phono or Tuner stages. FET = Field Effect Transistor on power amp. PARA = parallel output transistors, this gives more current capability as used on 100w+ amps usually. All are Transistor amps unless "Valves" noted.

BE AWARE SOME OF THESE NEED REBUILDINGSome of these amplifiers & receivers will work to a degree once serviced. But there are some that will need A Full Rebuild-Recap before you should use them. It's because they are getting too old or have known failures & may trash your speakers. Valve amps usually need recapping first, the Quad IIs we had were like new & were still useable, but many are well used & rough. The 1965 Sony TA-1120 is now 50+ years old & generally capacitors pre 1968 will not be reliable. depending on how much use the amp got. A 1967 Sony TA-1120A had an issue since new & was unused but the capacitors were no good. Many UK brands pre 1980 use TV grade capacitors which are failing & leaking. We've had 1967 amps that still work fine but we always recap amps we sell as the life of the amp still using 30-50 year old capacitors can be unpredictable. Just be aware of the work these need, factor in a professional upgrade or if you think you can do it yourself, look how the amp is inside as some are very awkward to work on as well as others are better. We do Rebuilds, Recaps, Repairs & even subtle Redesign. Look around to see who else offers this in Hifi?

AMP AS UPGRADED RATINGThis is the verdict based on us upgrading it to some level, some get much more done than others naturally & we've got deeper into upgrading as time goes on. Every amp we've found is compromised by age, low spec parts, weak cost cuts design or deliberate spoilers to hide a better design. To upgrade can be a nightmare sometimes & a delight in others. We read other's opinions of amps & we can see they only know Original amps, not upgraded ones & the comments we read are a little surprising as they seem to accept Rough Sound, Limited Bass & Soft Treble as just how amps are. With our upgrading we find better in every amp we upgrade we know that Transistor amps are only as good as the designer or company wants you to have. Some of our upgrades are very complex now & can reveal the Holy Grail of 'Perfect Sound', a sound that just sounds 'like it should' with zero grain or artifice to hide the sound, but very few transistor amps are capable of this & they are very early ones. But back on Planet Earth, sadly most Vintage Hifi buyers don't even get the amps serviced, so to reveal our opinons of what they'll sound like upgraded is perhaps a very limited market, but for those that are interested, it'll help pick out those to upgrade. Vintage Hifi is still very young & we can see the effect our pages have on the market.

REBUILD RATINGThis is worth putting on some amps as we know our pages get a lot of interest & some of the 1960s ones are getting wanted, but the reality is some of these can be big jobs to bring up to the sort of spec we see as worthwhile. You'll find others who'll just use these amps but pre 1972 is 45 years old in 2017 & these are starting to need recapping by default. Ones 1969-72 you can probably still use but they are past their best & you may think it's been hyped. Bear in mind if an amp has an Upgraded Rating then we've Recapped & Upgraded it to know what it's like. Some are expensive jobs as so much needs doing, some are more straightforward if generally these are the post 1972 ones. Buy into Earlier Vintage, but be aware a rebuild will not be a cheap job & anyone offering cheap recaps is doing it basdly with cheap parts. Do it properly or not at all. By doing it properly, the amp will be like New in many ways, anything likely to fail in one wek-one month-one year will have been dealt with. As in Vintage Cars, there are no Cheap Jobs unless you want to be forever 'repairing' it.

LOUDSPEAKERSThese are Important to consider if you fancy trying one of our Top Rated amps below. Not all Speakers match all amps. They all can sound quite similar via Headphones due to a big resistor in the circuit between Headphone & Power Amp stages. But a Speaker is directly connected to the Amplifier & certain characteristics of Match or Mismatch two ways are apparent. If you haven't read our Loudspeakers page, you are missing out on understanding that we don't believe anyone has investigated before. Why doesn't my Amp & Speakers match? we can go a good way to answer. In our research we've found most amplifiers match the 1960s Tannoys well, only a few don't quite do it & Yamaha is the most confusing one with CR-800 & CR-2020 sounding Very Good but the CR-700 & CR-1000 being mismatched, the CR-1000 being the worst mismatch we've heard on the 1960s Tannoys. It doesn't matter if it's valves, capacitor coupled or (semi) complimentary, as long as the ampp has enough power it'll sound good. But again, the 18w 1966 Coral amp sounded great.

AFTER 1977: AMPLIFIERS & RECEIVERSVery few amps are worth trying in the "Modern" Era of 1978 onwards & especially the Black Fascia era from 1982 onwards. It's just that these Amps sound Boring & Uninvolving: Musically Dead, as well as Rough compared to the Best Of the Golden Era 1967-1977. With any year from 1967 to 1977 there are plenty of Mediocre amps but plenty are Really Very Good Ones as you can see detailed. We've tried quite a few of the 1978 onwards amps & only really two stood out as better with only one rating as good as the early ones. We'd like to tell you of other quality Amps in the later years, but we just aren't finding any. See out OTHER AMPS page to see we aren't just being Narrow Minded with Hifi. For the Fact that Modern Amps sell for Higher Prices usually based on Hifi Magazine "reputations" often where a 5* amp was loved but then another comes along that is "so much better" and gets 5* too does get the idea of Hype.

The Stinkers Parade in Hifi..
We've included the few HOPELESS amps in the main list, we wadted our time & money on them so why not tell the reality that plenty more amps we haven't looked at may just be lousy too? To show not all vintage are worthy to warn readers of bad amps. These were got in our first few years of doing this site, used, some recapped & improved but quickly sold as we didn't appreciate them much & to learn the hard way to know what's best avoided. Seeing these awful amps still sell on ebay shows that people aren't Googling. These we did rate as Mediocre or Poor, but the idea of grading Turds is a bit pointless. The idea is these are amps we didn't like for lousy or boring sound or poor quality construction. There will be plenty more bad or lousy amps out there from early 10w Germanium Transistor Amps to the glut of post 1979 low powered silver & black fronted amplifiers of no real quality made for the mass market & pretty much disposable. The Leak Delta 75 actually sounds good, but is so unreliable we have to help stop wasting money as we've had 4 now & only one survived. Other amps can be poorly made & we do note this, but never one as bad as the Delta 75. Some brands that others like are actually ones we avoid now, Bang & Olufsen are poorly made with cheap components, the money is spent on the styling. We keep looking at UK & EU amps but for our 1963-1980 era there just don't seem to be any we like enough to try, not even Revox please us. Quad we think are overrated, plus more, see the Other amps page for more.

*SEE HI-FI PHOTOS: HI-FI GALLERYPHOTOS PAGE We've added many pages of photos of the actual amps we had & were taken as they were sold. An unique archive of Serviced, Cleaned & sometimes Upgraded amps with many photos inside & out. Most of those below are pictured. The page gets updated irregularly.

*NEW PAGES: Hi-Fi Blog since Jan 2017HI-FI BLOG PAGES is growing every month with new Articles covering what we see in Hi-Fi plus what the 1956-1980 Hifi News/RR magazine brings up of interest. A LOT of sections Indexed covering all Hifi Related Subjects including "Other Amps" that we have looked at. The Main Pages beyond Reviews don't get added to now & the BLOG is a Catch-All.

** Part One, this page, covers 1957-1971.
** Part Twois linked to a new page now & covers 1972-2007OLD OPINIONS MAY NOT BE CURRENT ONESThe difficulty with a website like this is that it's been written by us since 2011. We've revisited a lot of Amps on these pages to get more updated views, but the trouble in reading a 2014 review is that it was "early on" for us before the level of upgrading & building we do now & having had so many more amps of a much wider range leaves the early opinions a little awkward on re-reading so some Amp reviews have been rewritten from further on down the line. Reviews by 2015 will be more relevant if earlier ones will stay & will show either rare amps that don't turn up but we liked, or lousy ones we didn't like so haven't revisited. For example the Quad II/22 review is based on us having top grade original ones in 2002, this is unlikely to occur as 17 years more aging will make them off spec & the fact we've not fancied trying them again for the issues noted.

1953 Quad II valve power amps + 1958 Quad 22 valve preamp↑AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Recommended-Very Good. UPGRADED: n/a. 15w Valves.
We had a top grade pair of Quad II, the Quad 22 preamp plus the two tuners in 2002. At the time we got a very high price that it took other sellers over Ten Years to better, as we did very detailed photos at a time few bothered to photo things well. These came with two Garrard 301 white oil turntables & the guy we got it from took them all out of a big cabinet that we never saw sadly or the speakers. These must have had very little use & were in excellent grade inside & out. We tried them on the Tannoy Golds and found the preamps quite awful with loud thuds as you switched & oddly Tone didn't give much gain, though it could have been faulty perhaps. The preamp slides about as you press the buttons, only really good for building in a cabinet. The Quad II power amps sounded very sweet but the problem is they need 1.4v for full output whereas most other amps need only 400mV. We got some modern adaptors to plug other amps as a preamp. The sound was always a little soft as the other preamps didn't have the gain. But using with the Quad 22 preamp suffering it's mediocrity actually delivered a very tidy sound but still did lack the quality of later gear. The Quads are just so early & that's the issue. Our Quad IIs were like new inside & out with nothing aged or replaced & the non UK buyer bid hard for such fine items. But as we've stated elsewhere, these top grade ones are Museum Pieces rather than amps to alter & the Quad IIs with the ECL86 inputs actually don't have a proper preamp valve explaining the extra gain the preamp must have. Paired with a high output custom made modern preamp they'd sound much better, but they'd not be ones you'd use daily. Important amps to have known & for their age there are just about no other 1950s amps still bought & being used like these Quad are. Remarkably it's as early as 1953, replacing the 1948 Quad I, says Wikipedia & the Quad II was available until 1970. UPGRADES? The Aug 1970 Hifi News gives ideas for upgrading, losing the EZ32 rectifier valve if making other changes as voltages differ & Nov/Dec 1969 mentions upgrades to valve preamps to get lower noise levels, but suggests adding transistors. Can't say we'd like to lose so much of the originality on these amps, either enjoy it for what it is or sell it to buy something else, rather than start butchering it if it's a high grade all-original one, though if you must alter, get a rough one that needs repainting & has little value beyond parts. BUY-RAW RATING: Many are well used & altered with clumsy connectors added, look out for the high grade original ones to see what the fuss is about. REBUILD RATING: Not one we'd consider to rebuild as so much is more in the Collector rather than User area. With a Valve rectifier your options are limited.COOL RATING: 6 difficult as these are for building in cabinets if the power amps have an appeal, the preamps are awkward. (2002)

1963 Trio WX-400U valve receiver↑AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Recommended, if unlikely to be useable. UPGRADED: Excellent. 10w Valves. One of the first Stereo FM Multiplex Receivers from Nov 1963. Reviewed in Aug 1965 HFN stating '18w continuous' if they read just 12w & were a bit sniffy about it, but they were wrong: a 1964 ad states 10w (20w USA), the volume on speakers matches the 10-12w it actually is. There is no Kenwood equivalent, despite others guessing there is the KW-70 which is incorrect, just look at the underside circuit & extra display valve even as proof they differ, if there is similar in others too. The WX-400U was an Export Model it appears, not sold in Japan, only EU possibly though it has a 110-240v switch. There is an amplifier-only version that looks very similar inside, the W41U we have had since. Original spec as will now be too aged is strangely very limited and soft sounding & hides the high quality in here. The grey signal capacitors must be replaced as voltages can be way too high. What it needs is everything rebuilt & upgraded as certain parts are too far gone to even try it perhaps, but it does pay off and can deliver sounds way better than you'd think a 1963 amp should with a fast crisp treble, solid bass and huge wide soundstage that sounds way more than 10w now though it's rated 18w music power. Looks Very Good too, easily the best looking valve receiver with it's USA 1950s Diner looks. The hardest amp you'll ever tackle to get it sounding right as much needs upgrading including to redo the oversized phono sockets. The balance control isn't zero loss midway which limits fidelity. To fully recap, redesign the power supply & much more gets it rating high, if you fancy the full rebuild work including much redesign to do the pre & power amp stages properly, try to find better in vintage valves. For the ease of familiar ECC83 & EL84 output valves with 350v it's way ahead of the Sansui 500A & the Trio has a valve phono stage unlike the Sansui. This receiver as we rebuilt it is now one of our Reference Amps and does get used often by us & improved constantly as it never complains. We put DC heaters on phono, tone & driver & DC bias in this which is a big improvement, losing the lousy Hum Balance compromise. You can go even further & add adjustable bias too once it's DC bias. The most upgrade-friendly 1960s valve amp we've found, yet other amps don't have the capability. After having done this, looking at other similar valve amps it wouldn't have worked out. Read more on the Valves page, as the story hasn't ended. Interestingly if you searched for "Trio WX400" on ebay in 2015, you get a surprising related search. Thinking of this amp in 2017, we did a huge amount to upgrade it just to see how good it'd be. we'd not want to try a Valve Receiver again as the amount of work to get to a standard we'd want & for the fact 10w in Valves is fine on Headphones, but on 95dB Tannoy Golds it didn't quite have enough power to drive them. BUY-RAW RATING: Don't even try to use it before some recapping. Huge amount of work required to rebuild this, but it'll be worth it as it can sound remarkable. This needs rewiring with 3 core Earth mains cable for the safety of you & it. REBUILD RATING: All valve receivers are a major job to rebuild properly, to the point it's probably way too much to do. The results can be great, but to get us to rebuild another WX400U is just too big a job. To do certain parts to keep it useable will just reveal how weak the design is. COOL RATING: 9 of all the valve era receivers, this is the winner on looks by far. (2012-15)

1963 Trio W41 valve amplifier↑AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Recommended. UPGRADED: Excellent. 10w Valves.
This is the amplifier-only version of the WX400U receiver without the FM tuner. A cute little amp 313mm wide with a gold-grey lid, gold fascia with lid colour panel, embossed lines & red power light line gives it a bit of style. Still heavy for the casing & transformers. Top row of small sliders, headphone socket & the rotary controls have solid cast knobs, all very classy looking. We got this to rebuild for a customer so get to put our WX400U ideas in it if possible to make an excellent amp. This one does work if we're not playing it for long as it's probably not been played in 50 years & has mains hum & a little crackle. The W41 is the USA version with a 100-117v switch. The W41U is the 117-240v multivoltage one with three bigger transformers for the higher voltage else both are the same, the "U" is shown on a sticker but to only realise this on seeing the amp. The circuit diagram we have suggests all are multivoltage, but that's gambling for you. No problem to use a step-down transformer & it works right. The looks of this are like that Lost In Japan look you see on some early Hifi sites, the best stuff never exported & for the lifting of Trade Regulations shortly before 1963, the USA & Japan could export their best gear to new markets, if only Pioneer, Fisher, Trio & Sherwood appear in the Hifi Yearbook listings on our pages. For a 52 year old amp, it's seen very little use, no signs of darkening or aging, if the capacitors knowing how bad the WX400U was aren't to be trusted, if the voltages read well. The Tone controls are unusual, four in total as L+R have a separate control, leading to the ganged controls of later amps. This has the old conical phono sockets, no good for modern cables as no grip or they'll break the plugs as too big, to redo these is a bit of a job. To recap one of these amps takes redesigning & sensitivity to keep it looking tidy, for the small size of this, it certainly is a challenge. As often happens with very rare amps, another turns up. One supposedly serviced by an "expert" looks still 52 years old & entirely original to us, buyer beware. They say it sounds "lush warm & powerful", no, it'll sound very thin, humming, aged, low volume & disappointing, ours did & it had little use. It needs a full rebuild. The difficulty here as with most pre 1970s valve amps is the main capacitors are double & triple ones, these are not buyable & to recap isn't easy. This isn't our amp, it's a customers but we'll keep working on it until it's perfected. Having upgraded it with a lot of rebuilding, it now sounds fresh, lively & bassy. The original valves have burnt into the old spec & it sounded awful until revalving & then the good sound appeared. Once completed, background noise & hum using headphones was acceptable if not as low as later valve amps & the specs on these reveal this. But in use on speakers we heard no noise if you might do in the dead of night. For what it is, a 10w valve amp, it sounded nice on speakers if perhaps would suit ones of higher sensitivity than 95dB even. On the Tannoy Golds it had enough volume which showed it's sweet sound that will certainly please, if not really much more volume. But to buy one of these AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced) & use is not recommended, we found some caps in ours were dry & like the Rogers ones they could get issues if regularly used. BUY-RAW RATING: As 52 years old to recap is required before even first trying it, the usual warnings on pre 1969 amps. REBUILD RATING: This we rebuilt to a degree for a customer & their price level. It sounded good but seemed like there could be much more in it, but at 10w to keep it realistic. COOL RATING: 7 cute looking smaller amp but very nicely made. (2015)

1963 Fisher X-100-B amplifer↑
AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Recommended-Very Good. UPGRADED: Excellent. 15w
Valves. One we got to rebuild for a customer. We've liked the Fisher early Transistor amps 600-T & 440-T as below, so to hear a 15w valve version is a good one to know. Actually the Fisher 1963 book "The Handbook" lists this as a 1963 amp with 24w RMS per channel, so many misleading values & dates on this. 24w RMS per channel is a little vague for early specs is it both channels playing or the one channel playing misleasding one? It sounded like a 15w amp so we'll quote as 15w. 7868 output valves on 435v, the 7868 max 19w plate dissipation. The amp we got was in very high grade like it was NOS unused until 10 years later maybe & it has a later or repro case as the back grille space & mesh is different, if another one found online. Fisher being a Premium Brand & only sold by one London Shop in the Mid 1960s means you'll rarely see UK Voltage Fisher, so this 110v to use a step down transformer is no bother in use. Seeing other aged corroded ones to see this cute one in high grade inside & out with no signs of heavy use is a rarity too. The back Phono connectors are a little odd spaces as L on the top of the chassis & the R on the edge, the L cables near the output valves. quite a small unit, we thought it'd be bigger 400mm wide 146mm high 313mm deep, fascia is 384mm x 122mm, if about the same size as the Rogers HG88 Mk III that the customer considered too, if the Fisher is a looker & more sophisticated in design. So what does a good working one sound lie, all original except the bigger axial capacitor underneath. It's not to a modern upgraded sound, the rich warm Retro bass with limited Treble is noticeable, but to use Tone to alter that reveals it is a sound of quality. It sounds soft & slow, but still very nice in it's 1963 aged way & interesting to hear a 1963 valve amp on original spec as often they are repaired or with issues. Stereo is wide & overall the sound is smooth. Deep Bass won't bother it by the design spec & the slew Rate is modest with peaks played if kept small in size & the L+R balance isn't too even. So it sounds aged, soft, slow but nice. This is the sound that a working Vintage Valve amp will bring, but you may find it's original charms appealing, or you may want more out of it as 15w in valves we found to be the power needed to give a sound a modern buyer would like. Much to upgrade & circuits to learn, but knowing how Valve Amps done properly sound, it'll come to life with our Upgrades. The X-100-B has DC heaters on some stages if there is a background noise once volume is turned up higher with a mostly AC ripple sound for the 1963 spec. Putting the preamp shield & ECC83 cases back on the hum is halved so the design is still Hifi for it's era. The Output valves are '7868' which are bigger than EL84s if not as big as EL34s. 7868s are still made new which is better than the Rogers that use obsolete valves & the output valve is an "IC" of sorts ECL 86 with driver & output stages in one valve. The Rogers uses obsolete ECC807 that aren't quite ECC83, but Rogers price to Fisher price. The transformers are in Ultra-Linear configuration. The X-100-B is very nicely made, to upgrade there are no parts diagrams, to learn the circuit is required, if not so hard once you've worked out the Trio WX-400U. Some of these Fisher have a "TY" code transformer that can be wired to 240v, if the regular "T" code one is 117v only. Unlike some later Valve amps, all stages are Valve, no Transistor Phono stages here. The original wooden case has a squared-off back grille with a steel square-holed grille, as the Fisher 600-T has. But for the fact many were built into consoles, it appears good repro ones have been made for years too, possibly even in the 1970s, if the back grille shape is more curved with aluminium grille that warps with the valve heat. Sound as Serviced but Original: To try this 1963 amp on 1969 Tannoys shows it's a perfect match. The Bass may be a little Retro with the lumpy bass & the Treble may not be as fully extended as a rebuilt one, but it does sound wonderful as the midrange is precise. A big room filling effortless sound is laid out in front of you & for the bigger output valves on the "B" version the amp has better control so delivers loud bassy transients as on TV often with surprising confidence for an amp so old. A sweet sound here for sure & upgrading won't alter this delightful sound but will enhance it bringing the deep bass & higher treble out more naturally. Didn't expect it to be so good, if this amp does appear in high clean grade with little signs of use so hasn't had a hard life like some aged corroded non-original transformer ones can. But next day hoping to try it a bit more, the good try of it as all original left the amp weary with one channel lower volume. 1963 Valve Amp it still is with original aged parts so in reality to get one good try out of it was good, but it still needs a rebuild. The old main High Voltage capacitors were in poor condition as on the July 2018 blog. All Recapped to find the sound a lot more pleasing, it sounds Fresh & Lively with decent Bass, not the deepest Bass though. Fisher circuits are cleverly crafted to keep Signal:Noise ratios away from Hiss & Hum. The Audio Path from Aux to the Power Amp stage does go through a few high value resistors if there is a little shaping in the circuit to keep the sound right & for the first play of it a pleasant hour was spent, giving a detailed sound for the 24w rated. The 20w (?) rating has to be 'Music Power' on the original design compared to the 30w of our LX33 valves. Stereo width isn't as wide as our LX33 based design & the sound is a little Retro but done so nicely to see what Fisher buyers heard in the 1960s, if our Upgrades modernise the sound a lot, the capacitors as said were very aged. As with Valve Amps as we found with the Trio WX-400U & LX33 you can spend years redesigning to get the best out of the amp & for how pleasing this sounds now, it sounds great if not with the extended treble & bass that we can match with some Transistor Amps. Biased right after some use brings the Treble into focus far better. A good amp to get to upgrade & having heard it on the Tannoys now it sounds spot on for a 15w valve amp is enough to fill the room. On Speakers. We tried it on our Tannoy Golds & initially, as with valve amps usually, it's not as trebly as transistors. A bit of a Retro sound again but very pleasant for it. Midrange is more upfront than transistor amps & we know that from our Luxman LX33 also, if treble is crisp & bass is extended. It's the sort of sound you need to listen to for a while on good speakers to understand, it took us 5 minutes as we know Valve amp sound. To use Headphones, you MUST set the slider to 'Speakers Off' as this puts a Balancing Resistor Load on the Output Transformers. To Set Bias Voltage of 40v on Pin 3 of the 7868s showed ours were very well matched. BUY-RAW RATING: Age will mean the main capacitors are nearly failing as with any 1960s valve amp & there are multi capacitors in two cans to deal with. Beware if the L+R sounds unbalanced as the Volume control could be faulty. REBUILD RATING: Very advanced as redesign needed plus space under is limited. COOL RATING: 8 Fisher 1960s gear is always great looking, simple fascia if nicely done. (2018)

1965 Fisher 600-T receiver↑
AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Great. UPGRADED: Excellent. 45w
SC, PARA, Transformer Coupled, Hybrid: Valve-Nuvistors-Germaniums-Silicons. We had a Fisher 440T long ago but it was such poor grade, no lids or case it got parted out very easily. It intrigued us for it's early style build & at last we've found one worth getting, and a 440-T too, see below. Most were sold as chassis amps to build into consoles as Fisher was a top brand in the USA. London shop 'Imhofs' has this in Nov 1965 for £226, later the "REW" shop has these too. These have a black metal lipped base & top grilles with the wood case & gold top grille. The 600-T comes as either a 110v or a 220v compatible, the 440T did but this is a 110v as expected but a 300w external step down transformer will power it. The 220v versions have extra striped wires on the transformer. One valve & two Nuvistors for the Tuner front end, mostly Germaniums with some Silicon if Germanium outputs, 8 in total to get 45w. The build inside is one to scare many off, it is very densely packed with hard wiring & early components as well as being deeply fascinating. This sort of amp played The Beatles 'Revolver' & 'Rubber Soul' so will have been much enjoyed so to find one for a reasonable price, not a $1000 delivered one, with most of the print on the front & the gold knob caps is not so easy to find. Looking at the photos of the 440T this is far more sophisticated. In the top section, seeing Transistors in push-in holders is unusual, only seen this with Fisher. Two transformers for the push-pull splitter stage as the NatPan SA5800 & Sansui 3000A used. The two top TO3 transistors are pre-to-power amp buffers and the two ceramic posts are resistors for impedance matching as the Sansui 3000A has. Two larger main capacitors in card outer casings are 3000µf 40v as this is a semi complimentary amp like the other 1967 ones. The rear silver capacitor is a triple one for the valves-nuvistors. The underneath is similarly packed with Phono in the rear corner, the two mid ones are Preamp-Tone & the power supplies in two places. It uses cable trunking like the early Sonys do, axial capacitors & the orange squares are ceramic capacitor blocks for Tone & EQ, if not the best quality, these are used in McIntosh preamps too & can be upgraded as we've done before. The amount of work to assemble this by hand will be huge, it is very impressively made if still much hardwired. The cast aluminium back panel, similar to the Heathkit below. The sockets are tightly spaced if ones a modern cable can use if it's the slimline type. A linked socket pair marked 'Rev' is for a Reverb Amp loop, or Graphic today, not really a Pre In-Out though. Tape Out is Line Level, Phono Hi (Ceramic) & Lo (MM) with Tape Head for a open reel player. Tape Monitor, Aux Hi goes through a 220k resistor if Aux Lo is direct. Speaker outs for two pairs via the same type the McIntosh MC275 uses so those Gold Posts we recommend on sales pages fit, if rather closely. Four 2A fuses are the only protection. Our one is Estate-fresh from the USA & this is how you want complex amps, to avoid the repaired or fiddled-with ones. To use a mains transformer is no bother even for long use, just keep the original plug on so there is no confusion about voltage. Looking online there are various versions. Ours has no output stage adjust pots but diodes & the eight TO3 outputs, any with wood fascias are not original. The nameplate is sprung if what for, nothing behind it on ours which is a late 41100 series one, not a chassis version, if an early one shows there are trimmer pots. There are apparently 4 versions of this with manuals, very highly rated and beyond McIntosh we read, we'll find out soon. Look for the Fisherconsoles.com site if navigation is vague, downloads are there. Finding a 1964 Consoles catalog reveals why so few have wood cases, they were supplied in a custom furniture type cabinet, but these are valve amps, not the 600-T. It looks 1965-66 to us. The earlier Fisher 600 is a valve amp of an all-valve design. To recap an amp like this for advanced folks only, the amount of hard wiring to PCBs is not so easy. Pity it uses ceramic blocks for Tone EQ & High Filter and also the main preamp caps oddly are W. German ones like EU radiograms. Would be nice to get a perfect fascia, but screen printing with lacquer over will wear on the Power-Volume & Selector. If Hifi restoration was more advanced, you could get these redone. First try with the 110v external transformer at least is as described, it works, after one duff looking cap temporarily replaced & the FM tuner importantly works. We're not trying it for long as it is 50 years old but there is a pleasing sound here if clearly substandard by the aging caps. 'Aux Lo' is the input we use & L+R seem swapped compared to other amps with our cables. To hear bass is limited & clipping shows it's best to work on it, amps like these pre 1967 ones are only for advanced users. But the treble is clean & smooth showing this will sound very nice once upgraded. After how nice some 1965-67 amps are, the randomness of hard wiring here & axial caps is less appealing, but the Trio-Kenwood TK-140X still had lots of axial caps. The Tuner stage Valve & Nuvistors work on 114v-152v & the one can has 3 capacitor stages in it. For the fact if it works we'll leave that one be. Four axial caps in the mid top of the amp are for the FM Stereo bulb & four amid the back transistors are part of the power amp. The Interlock on the mains switch appears to be for safety in console ones with no cases, usually found disconnected. Overall not too hard to recap & not much, if the skill is in doing it right. Getting ready to recap, our opinion whether it'll stay longer is unsure, it seems reliable & a popular amp, though how good it really is will decide. It's more like a valve receiver & kooky things like transistors mid air in plug-in holders all seems a little alien. After recapping the preamp boards & the output transistor ones, time to try it, L+R balance corrected now. Despite the power caps still original, a lively sound far better than expected for the kooky construction. Known strong transient aka kicking tracks are delivered surprisingly confidently. It is surprising that this funny looking amp sounds this good. The biggest underside capacitor was dry & had vented if not crusty. The two main caps were still good. The only minus with this amp is it's semi hardwired making working on the PCBs a bit tricky. We've recapped ours now as well as giving it a better gain. Very clean precise sound with a valve-germanium smoothness, proper bassline now as the original design didn't bring much. As with the 1965 Sony TA1120 it doesn't sound 50 years old at all if has a certain retro sound to it that appeals, no grainy sound here & a precision few amps can offer with a circuit that isn't too typical but it sounds great. Having it 110v & needing a step-down transformer is no bother, no hums or limits to the sound, to find a EU 220-240v is probably unlikely. But it certainly it brings musical pleasure & will be a hard one to liberate to the world as one we've wanted to try. Working out the path of the signal from Aux is very complex if very unusually it has buffer stages. The 2N2613-2N2614 are Germaniums as are the RCA 35144 TO3 output eight set. The preamp to the board mounted drivers then coupling transformer then to the output sets. The audio stages are therefore all Germanium apart from the last two on the preamp! So you can imagine after liking the JVC MCA104E & Duette SA500W amps with Germaniums, why not do this 45w all Germaniums? Some to redesign as some is a bit poor, large signal resistors on the preamp limit the sound freshness, but the fun of it really. Actually worked very well, if one for the advanced tech only to try, there is much more in this amp. All Germaniums done right betters valves, but don't tell anyone. One oddity is the Inputs L+R are correct to Balance control, but as with the Heathkit below, the Headphone is wired the wrong way round to all other amps. The Phono stage is cleaner than nearly all amps, very musical, no thick muddy sound here. Looking at the first manual compared to our late version, the amount of changes are huge with 7 preamp transistors, a totally different power supply & much renumbered, surprising they didn't call them Mk I etc. The Tuner stage with a valve, two NuVistors, The IF & MPX boards is as smooth & detailed as a valve tuner. Ours needs some adjusting to get Stereo if the beacon lights & the FM spread is wider than the dial. You can see how we rebuild amps, as close to original, but imagine the horror at what some person on the AK forum did to theirs, utterly clueless & they actually put an IC on a new board for the phono stage. Not good to mess so heavily with a great design, adding lots of new PCBs even, but still leave ALL of the poor circuitry we upgraded to bring the real sound out is still in their crazy idea. They took it totally to pieces even the selector switches, yet missed the basic weaknesses in the design. Well that's our opinion & after some subtle redesign ours sounds wonderful & looks still very original. Theirs will sound deep-bass-limited and compressed as the original design is. Having had two of these, a Mint one for a customer to upgrade, they are not so easy to work on the preamp boards which are hardwired in & some of the cable sleeving melts off too easily. The 1968 Fisher 700-T & 440-T are clearly later versions if far less interesting, not semi complimentary but the easier capacitor coupled design, if still some Germaniums. On Tannoy Golds it sounds exceptional, for our rebuild-redesign not heard any transistor amp sound that involving. Shortly after, as the Fisher 440-T review below shows, we got both as very high grade ones, the 600-T was barely used. The sound of it as all-original after hearing our upgraded one after does show the limitations of the original design & ceretainly worthy of a 'Great' the flatter soundstage & slight roughness is apparent even on first play, with us used to other amps. Plenty can be upgraded in the 600-T without redesign to better the sound, but ultimately the original design will limit the top fidelity. But the smooth involving sound even of an original one is still a delight. BUY-RAW RATING: As 50 years old some recapping could be essential, don't risk the rare output transistors. Complex hybrid tuner here. REBUILD RATING: To recap it straight without much upgrading in design brings good results, to really upgrade it to be it's best involves a lot of redesign that is too much of a job in real terms. COOL RATING: 8 classic vintage hifi style, but needs the top & base covers and the walnut case with the gold mesh back. (2015)

1965 Fisher 440-T receiver↑AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Great. UPGRADED: Excellent. 20-25wCC.
This amp of ours got relisted as "faulty" to sell for £242 on ebay Aug 2018 by the unaware buyer who typically blames us for their misuse... See the Aug 2018 blog for more. Since been repaired by us for the one who bought it. This is the next Fisher receiver after the 600-T above. Mentioned in the Dec 1965 HFN mag as 25w into 8 ohms, that issue mentions the elusive 100w RMS 'Mattes SSP/200' that we'll look at on the 'Other Amps' page. Comes in two versions, the early one has transformer coupling like the 600-T & case mounted power amp driver transistors, the later one has no transformers but adds a pair of power amp boards, some have the black heatsinks which need the separator as voltages differ on the smaller heatsinks, but don't get much warm anyway so they omitted it later it seems. 20w only if plays as loud & has a simplified circuit to the 600-T which we found needed a redesignto be it's best. This is the same size amp as the 600-T if is otherwise still in the same style, cases are the same size. The 600-T power amp stage is unusual, the 440-T is a more typical design with a power amp driver board & separate output stages, the 600-T doesn't have a driver board in the standard way. We had one of these in 2011 without the wood case or inside metal cages as these were often built in. This first one was a 240v one as the one now is if we saw how much of a mess it was & just parted it out & to get this one 5 years later is strange, what would we have thought of it then? The one now is a delight, all bright & 9/10 grade & it certainly looks very smart. The Aux as with the KLH & other amps, if not the Akai AA7000, goes into a resistor & is amplified in the Phono-Tape Head & Tuner output board. We can use Tape In direct bypassing this if as original the Aux input sounds the better. In comparison to the Fisher 700-T in similar top grade we got for a customer, to compare both 600-T & 440-T together is a rare opportunity, see the 600-T for it's review as the high grade. The 440-T just has the output capacitors changed so is almost original. Using Aux the 440-T is the better sounding & it has a little more volume than the 600-T if only 20w compared to 45w of the 600-T, if it has doubled output transistors. The sound is smoother & better defined than the 600-T. Deep bass is noticeably missing for the design limitations if it's certainly not thin. Our 240v one has a 2-core mains cable, this should be updated to 3-core with care on the Live-Neutral using the 2-core on EU plugs as the case on ours reads 11v AC or a full 240v AC which is not good, meter on case to a ground point reveals this. Back to the sound, adding a bit of deep bass on the Soundcard EQ the sound via Aux is actually not too different to Tape In if Tape is slightly better on the bass. The Aux is a good design if it still puts Audio through a 220K resistor, as the original amp, unlike some of these large resistor to Phono stage designs, this has the fidelity. Headphone sockets on USA early amps are always L+R swapped. The first one of our 440-Ts had two black metal heatsinks on the power amp drivers which sat on top of the round smaller heatsinks, but never having tried the first, there are varying voltages on the round heatsinks of 0.5v, 24v & 48v so any metal would ground them ruining things, so as they barely get hot, the later serial numbers, ours is a 65xxx one, must have omitted these. Recent amps we've played are the Akai AA-7000 & Nikko TRM-1200 as well as the 600-T & the 440-T even all original gives an excellent sound, if it needs recapping, has a hissy transistor as well as L+R imbalance. Not a semi-complimentary design, as similarly Sansui abandoned SC after the 3000A. Still has the transistor sockets, not a good idea you'd think, but like the HH Scott below, they stay put & no problems or noises. The bigger version of the 440-T is the 700-T with 42v and 57v HT respectively, 20w & 40w rated if basically the same amp boards inside. A problem now & ago will be the Speaker connector screws. Even a small fork connector as on a 'T' aerial can move & short the outputs. The Gold blocks have the same problem. The best solution is to use THESE ring connectors as we mention on our sales page. Getting new caps for this despite being in high grade, a few were bad, the speaker coupling ones replaced long ago & the main cap was actually dry & crusty inside showing the Fisher regardless of grade need recapping. On recapping this, all electrolytics need replacing, we found a few duff ones on our very hifgh grade one, but it's the most difficult one to work on as boards are hardwired in multiple times. One for the pro only. Further along with this after issues sorted, the way to adjust is insane, we're not pulling transistors out. It can be adjusted for midpoint voltage (L pot) & Bias (R pot) easily enough so we do it our way. Now upgraded & finished, the sound quality here on big Tannoys is very special, shows how these were much wanted when new if our upgrade brings the best out in this fine amp. REVISITED 2018: So to see what went wrong, they used only the Left Speaker screws so overloaded the amp by not using the Right speakers, up to them to understand amp markings or ask. The Output Transistors we assumed were Germaniums, but on testing them, they read as Silicons do & no Fault on those. RCA TR1007 are Silicon if earlier ones will be Germanium. Did we have the later 440-T manual? The ones online have the earlier Transformer Coupled version only, ours with the amp board & pre driver underneath isn't shown? It's actually the same as in the Fisher 700-T manual. Transistors replaced gets it going right again.BUY-RAW RATING: Will need a recap as noted above & it's a very tricky one to work on. REBUILD RATING: We didn't like the plug in transistors on the power amp, quite a lot to do on this one if worthwhile. COOL RATING: 9 looks great in the wood case, very stylish. (2016).

1965 Rogers Cadet III valve amplifier↑AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Recommended-Very Good. UPGRADED: n/a. 10w Valves.
Important starter amp into the world of valves, but don't pay too much, £300 for an unserviced amp is too high. Looks nice in high grade though the one part amp often looks look tired. Always needs restoring & careful buying as many used for a long time & often found altered. Quite a small basic amp with tiny output transformers so bass is limited though for 10w it's adequate, the HG88 is the bigger version if power is needed. Best buying the later one part version as the 2 parter can be tricky with that connecting cable, our high grade one sparked & had other issues. Plays like a 30w transistor amp with a strong clear lively sound, but ultimately limited by the power output. The thing is these are now very old & many have been used & messed with for decades, making the prices buyers pay seem excessive as they all need proper rebuilding as the main capacitors are now dried out & ready to fail. A serviced good one worthy of 'Very Good', based on our early 2 part one. Treble is a little ragged due to the spec but a fine sound that will be addictive. Read more on the 'valves' page. All the Rogers valve amps have ECL82 triode-pentodes, the preamp ECC807s are long obsolete & the large Aux 220K input resistor will limit the sound as it then goes through the Phono stage flat. This & the HG88 Mk III are good starter amps into valves, but don't bother with the earlier Mk versions, leave those be if you want to play them. BUY-RAW RATING: Risky for aged parts & old work or alterations done on them. REBUILD RATING: Never rebuilt one of these. An involved job to redo the main capacitors needing redesign. COOL RATING: 4 as the styling has no real flair to it, plain basic fascia in a formica box is functional. (2013)

1965 Rogers HG88 Mk III valve amplifier↑AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Recommended-Very Good. UPGRADED: Excellent. 15w Valves.
A higher spec Rogers amp that sounds nice but is still limited by the old design ideas. It can be made to sound ageless and the sound can be modernised with remarkable results, capable of a deep bass beyond the limited original design. Very Good is the 'as-is' serviced rating though it can go to excellent with much design-based work. The main HT capacitors are always dried out. Only the high value input resistors limit the fidelity & it's ranking. You must try a Rogers to hear valves & if you upgrade & know design. Plays like a 50w transistor amp. Again it's nearly 50 years old & will need much work done as the main power capacitors at the back are dried out & ready to fail. More capable of improving than the Cadet. The only minuses are the case has poor ventilation making the rightmost valve get to over 100°C against the case & scorches the wood case & the high input resistor for Aux. To overcome the awkward triple capacitors on recapping can be done. ECC807 valves are similar to ECC83 if pins differ & minor resistor changes required. The bias slider is too coarse to set properly. Read more on the 'valves' page. All the Rogers valve amps have ECL82 triode-pentodes, the preamp ECC807s are long obsolete & the large 220K input resistor will limit the sound as it then goes through the Phono stage flat. REVISITED 2018: We help a Cusytomer get a nice HG88 III for us to upgrade. Buying these amps is difficult, missing cases, bad repairs, rusty chassis but here the first one found is a good one, working if "Restored By an Expert Tech With 40 Years Experience. On getting the amp, 40 years TV repair guy, the Menace to electronics who does it as cheap as possible with zero care for quality. Not surprisingly the work is messy, they use cheapo Yageo & MIEC capacitors, the Made In China junk we'll just bin & just recapped like-for-like with the 5 main caps still in place if the China caps fitted haphazardly underneath, some with long leads so close to other points it's a bit of a worry how it never shorted. We rebuilt one of these as on the Gallery in 2012 which took a lot of working out to make a good upgrade & this one will get refinememts on that. The Original Sound of the amp as arrived was told to the Customer as "Bright & Screetchy" as well as Overloud with no subtlety, no bass & a flat unpleasant sound. To recap & upgrade plus fit some new output valves as this had mismatched ones as well as 2 of the ECC807 were Pinnacle brand ones. The Build quality on these Rogers amps is neatly done on tags onto the casework & it's a heavy item for the size with the transformers, the Output ones being far more substantial than the feeble Cadet III ones. The Speaker outputs are a line of 6 screws, it's not an 'E' for a Turntable Ground, it connects to the output transformer, why the 'E' screw exists makes little sense, just use the '+' and '-' with the right 4,8 or 16 ohm impedance being selected. Aux preset lets you adjust the level to stop it being too loud if that does lose some of the quality too & the Aux does still go through the 220k resistor to the first valves which are used for Phono also. The Mains cable is still the old Green-Red-Black one which is out of date & may confuse, Red is 'L', Black is 'N' & Green is 'E' but as the cable is 50 years old it needs replacing. First Try as Recapped & Upgraded. Still using the Original Valves, ECC807s wuill stay if a new set of ECL86 Edicrons will be fitted, these usaed to be sold by Maplin in the 1990s so we know the brand is good. This uses the Headphone box on the speaker outputs. No hum or hiss & just the occassional light crackle from an ECL86. A little Loud on Aux so adjust the rear inputs to have the screw horizontal & use a 470R headphone resistor not the usual 100R as the Volume isn't balanced at the lowest levels on the control as typical for this era. Pleased with the sound, it sounds like it should, proper bass, not harsh or thin, not scratchy & grainy. This upgrade is based on our 2012 upgrade with a few tweaks & sounds very decent indeed. The 220K input resistor does slightly compress the sound if the Amp itself as Upgraded is so lively it takes an aware ear to tell that. Sounds as good as other amps we've upgraded to sell. Would say it could do with a better focus for Rock, so to try the new Edicrons as the difference Old Valves to New Valves on the EAR Yoshino 2000 year amp recently made a good improvement. Let them sit to burn in for 10 mins & try. The ECL86s all hit 100°C with the rightmost one less ventilated a bit higher. Not an amp to build into a cabinet which was a selling option as 'chassis' model without the case, as you'll raise the temperature too much. this amp needs to be freestanding in the cabinet. Valves warmed up to full operating as high treble is contained not spitty. Much better with the new valves & going back the 100R setting to hear it at the right level, it's very smooth. HG88 III was the 'midprice' version of the 'budget' Cadet III if both are far better than the quality of midprice-budget by the early 1970s. Of course we're reviewing our Upgraded amp but this is what it can be if you spend a higher upgrade cost on it. Not quite the Bass of an EL34 amp & you'd not expect it. Vey Fresh 'Modern' full range sound now, what a difference to the 'Original Sound' opinion. It sounds as good as any Upgraded Transistor amp & the fast punchy sound is far from the usual slow 'Valve Sound'. Getting quite a few songs played. Stereo is wide, if have heard wider. Fast Enough to cope with 60s Ska, if again a bigger power will better it. The "E" Connectors by Speakers: These do go to a Ground Connection if not Direct to the case, the right E goes to the outout Transformer & via a wire to the Mains Ground. the left E goes to the Inpiut-Phono stage ground further up the case. This will both give a different ground potential, to choose which is the best. Later amps just offer Ground to the Case which works fine. Base Lid & Cabinet Screws. These are an old style Imperial thread that has been obsolete for Decades, but you can buy this Threaded Bolt from USA if finding one to fit right probably is very difficult. Compare HG88 III to LX33. Both our upgrades & both gave ideas to each other. The Luxman is our design beyond the basics, LX33 brings out detail & a larger soundstage if the balance of the sound is quite similar, we based our Tone very much on the HG88 III one as the LX33 one was poor. The 220k Input resistor does still compress a bit & the LX33 without this is a more open sound. Back to the HG88 III after hearing the LX33 which is based much on the HG88 III upgrade, takes a little longer to get to optimal voltages, if is fine after 1 min. How similar they sound. A Rogers HG88 III rebuilt our way will take on any Modern Valve amp & better it. We recently did a Fisher X-100-B 15w amp from 1963 & the HG88 III does better it as the Fisher amps do have complex designs. On Speakers. With 1967 Tannoy 15" Golds that this amp maybe wasn't a natural choice at 50w, the early 15w Tannoy IIILZ probably used more often. to use the Gold 4mm blocks if to add heatshrink as too risky to just tighten as no grip lugs. It actualy sounds awesome. Not what we'd expect having heard other Vintage Valve Amps, but to remember the design is what we based our LX33 on. To us it's the sound we search for, it's clean, crisp when the Treble Tone is turned Backwards for Gain, not the usual Clockwise way. Deceptively not that Bassy as stated above, but on speakers with TV shows that chuck out deep Basslines it packs a punch that is unexpected. More domestic sounding than our LX33 version, this just sounds so good we want to keep it, if we have one transistor amp of a very similar design that betters it. Rogers HG88 III upgraded is the Best Vintage Valve Amp you'll hear, Vintage as in pre 1977, the 15w is enough to fill a medium sized room on efficient speakers if 10w isn't quite enough. Great amp, Great Upgrade by us. But if you like that soft wallowy aged Valve amp sound, that is called "Valve-Like" then this is far from that as it's fast fresh & a joy to hear. 2018 Customer's Verdict was they said they read the review a few times for hearing how good we rated it. On them getting to play it they were beyond pleased. It's one of the Best Sounding Upgraded Amps we've had, not many sound quite that good. BUY-RAW RATING: Risky for aged parts & old work or alterations done on them. REBUILD RATING: We rebuilt one as our Gallery pages show, if that was a few years back. With redesign & good upgrading it gives very good results, if this is quite a big job to do right. COOL RATING: 6 as a bigger unit just rates a little higher than the Cadet III if still very utilitarian looking. (2013-18)

1965 Sansui TR-707A receiver↑AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Very Good. UPGRADED: Excellent. At least 25w. CC, Transformer coupled, Mains Choke, All-Germanium preamp. The Very First Sansui Transistor Receiver from May 1965, their First Solid State Amplifier or Receiver, so to try it is a Must as it predates the Sony TA-1120 by 6 months if really only the Fisher Transistor amps are earlier. Rated 18w if our tests show it's in the league of 30w amps, likely rated 18w into 15 ohm as this isn't noted, 8 ohm speakers in 1965 were rare, so at least 25w. To get a nice grade one with very stylish looks, the basic Sansui 3000(A) styling if just a bit more classy with those long tubular & 'Rocket' type control knobs. Rocker Switches moves on from awkward Slider switches. This amp appears to always be Multivoltage as it was a Japan-made amp for Export Only, so we gambled on a shadow of the voltage block being such & it was. But ours is still very early, Jan 1966 date & the TR-707A was made until the Sansui 400 below replaced it in Feb 1967. One we have seen so it must have sold fairly well, if not as easy to find as the 1968-69 Sansui 3000A. Bigger than expected, knowing the Sansui 400, it's 450mm wide, 150mm high & 353mm deep if 382mm inc fittings. Ours has a minor repair & 2 replaced output transistors if otherwise a good one. The design of this appealed, inside pics show it's the Transformer Coupled design, big resistors that the 3000(A) similarly has, plus oddly it has a smaller 'transformer' that's actually a Mains Choke more what Valve Amps used. Still on the original Elna capacitors, it's said to be working. On first try it does work, but with noticeable strong Hum & the front lights are dim. The same 'boink' noise as the 3000A does on turn on if a steady hum & lesser hiss, hardly useable if works if the L+R channels drift levels showing it must be rebuilt as so old. FM & AM works if rather vague on the controls as usual if it plays both channels. A fairly crisp if rather Retro Bass sound with Deep Bass limited. Plays Reggae adequately if Rock shows it up too much, to service next. So as of typing Nov 2018 we have two very early Transistor amps, this & the Akai AA5000, who else would get amps this early to review & upgrade. Should be interesting. Manual Variations. For an Amp first out May 1965, ours is Jan 1966, the Manual findable is a bit later. Ours has C177 as 400µf not the 800µf plus 2 extra on the Power Amp Driver board underneath. One labelled Photo online has the Rectifiers as Black not Silver & only 2 coaxial Capacitors, ours is the earlier like another photo with 4. This board has the Capacitors very close to the base lid which can cause problems if the lid bends. 1965 Version. On getting one soon after to rebuild for a customer, it doesn't have the Sony-type Multivoltage block, it has a small valve type plug. What to do seems impossible, it's an Export-Only design but the Schematic in the lid on ours & this slightly earlier one shows there was an option of 3 plug-in pieces, one used & the others get lost, if not hard to rewire to the 240v version, if to remember the wiring is looking from the outside, not the soldered inside, so it's flipped. without that it'd take ages to work it out & still not be sure. It's in the lid. 2 or 4 Capacitors. The early ones have 4 capacitors & 8 smaller resistors on the underneath Amp Driver board, later have 2 capacitors & only 6 resistors, as the design got tweaked, or dumbed down perhaps. Ours is the 4 cap & the pdf Manual is a 2 cap one so to see the differences. The 2 cap board loses the 2 taller 1000µf 6v caps to stop the board getting broken as they are too near the lid & just links across with the removal of the outer small resistor R222, ours has 4.7k ohm if later it's 180 ohm. The 500µf 6v cap isn't on the manual though if it's before the NFB resistor, so there are a few minor alterations. Again the Circuit in the Lid is earlier than the pdf service manual one. The 2SD245 version has a few differences to the 2SD46 one. The Design is fascinating for so early, this only really had Fisher amps to refer to & it copies none of that. PNP preamp transistors with a -HT is unusual & based 'possibly' on Germaniums (read on...). Some design ideas are ahead of their time with the Phono-Inputs board as two boards to keep them separate. Strange non-standard early Capacitor values & for the PNP design things are different. on the underneath Power amp board a big resistor gets to 70°C if it's right next to a large capacitor if the other parts stay under 40°C. Another hot resistor gets to 60°C by the diodes if the Main Heatsinks are cool. Sansui used the early Conical type Phono sockets as with the 3000 & some 1967 dated 3000A plus the 400, these need the older type of cables with 4 open-bendable ground tab grips on the plug, we got some with other amps, if the Modern Cables won't connect right. Lighting with LEDs is subtle. Output transistors have one side with likely early originals gold edged Sony 2SD46 5A 50w if the replaced pair are totally unknown WTS423, Gold Pins so 1960s if no info found, if possibly custom ones taken from a Console Gram etc. All other pics of the outputs have replaced ones. Clean Sine Output on both Aux & Tape Mon is 20v on both channels so the WTS423 are adequate & sound good so leave it be. 20v Clean Sine is what other 27w-30w amps rate. Speaker output fuses do have plastic covers over if they don't grip well, later amps had a metal part over them. Tone gives about +13db Bass boost & +15dB Treble boost show the manual's graphs, if the Power Ratings aren't quantified so our reading it as a 30w amp tells the 18w is into 15 ohm which was standard in 1965 still. Another Graph claims it to be Flat over 20Hz to 20kHz, to later hear how extended the Bass is with it picking up missed Sub Bass on a BBC TV show reveals this amp is a bit special. For those into design, the main NFB resistor really is that value, it's not a typo. Mostly Recapped. It Needs A Full Recap as rather tired sounding. Each stage recapped improves the sound if only the Outputs & 2 Main Power supply caps to arrive. Sound so far on being able to play it properly it has an unusual sound with a very Rich Sound if Treble is still crisp with Stereo being quite wide. There still is some Hiss & Hum if overall it sounds Retro but nice with it. Why Retro Sound? Looking at the Spec Sheets, the Black PNP Transistors are Germaniums, 2SB378A & 2SB381 if the 2 Driver Board ones are Silicon. Explains the Minus Voltage HT as thought just above & what's more surprising is they are Sony ones, Drivers are Sony too, if manual 2SC292 are the original ones, but ours has 2SC470 which appear original on the earlier '4 cap' versions. Outputs are originally 2SC245 if ours has 2 different pairs. Now accepting the Germanium Preamp, to understand it better, the only other successful Germanium amp is the Fisher 600T if it has a lot of Sound Shaping, here the TR-707A is with better spec so no need to compromise & explains an unusual design. We'll keep this Germaniums even if it still may slightly hum. 'Aux' goes through a large Resistor into the Phono stage, to use 'Tape Mon' input plays louder & sounds better for it if otherwise not so different, if comparing back, Aux is very slightly more on the mid bass & just a little less fresh at the same playing level. Main Caps Done. These fitted & the background Hum is much reduced, not totally silent but on Headphones Hum is not much now. Main Cap was dried out & starting to go crusty. More use makes the Hum level very low if Germanium Hiss shows. Verdict Now Done. Aux goes through the phono stage which slightly compresses the sound, but the 'Tape Mon' input is direct. 1965 Transistor Amp before the Sony TA-1120 came out is a bit of a Gem & with low NFB it's much fresher than the TA-1120. The sound compared to the 1967 Sansui 400 is similar if the TR-707A betters it for rich sound & the Germanium sound is different if as crisp & detailed. Great Design just needing Recapping-Upgrades if nothing else changed beyond the odd early Driver Transistors. The SE-1.5 Selenium Rectifiers we've kept also the Germamiums as it gives a nice alternative sound. To keep it good to use as a Daily amp the 18 Tuner Board Capacitors we'll recap as they are 1966 vintage too, if hard to work on the Tuner. Really didn't expect the TR-707A to be this good, but it certainly is. On Tannoy Golds. This has to be the Best Sounding Amp we've ever heard, it has it all when other amps can only do some of this. Effortless wide-open sound with nothing unbalanced, solid midrange with wide Stereo & a sense of 'all veils removed' from the Speakers. Rich Natural hypnotic sound with Deep THX type Bass like you've always wanted with Treble as Clean & Crisp. All from a 1965 Germaniums Amplifier rated 18w if into 15ohm as it tests like a 30w amp. Aux or Tape Mon doesn't make much difference on Speakers. After-Midnight listening reveals a slight 'windy' noise from the Germaniums if not hum. For the extra-smooth but punchy sound, it's a small compromise. Upgrade to Silicon? The difficulty is the Germaniums are low gain so to use typical Silicons you'd have far too much gain that'd be much too loud & spoil the sweet sound. The design is correct for Germaniums & any alteration just wouldn't be easy or give the results you wanted, so leave it be. Another One Already. A customer saw the above reviews so got one for us to rebuild. This is the 1965 version with the 8-pin Valve style Multivoltage plug, we recapped the tuner so now AM works, FM works now too with Stereo too. See the Feb 2019 Blog for hearing this amp near to Original. BUY-RAW RATING: Too Old to use reliably or perhaps even safely now, needs a rebuild even on a nice grade one. REBUILD RATING: Lack of Board Layout diagrams or markings needs care. COOL RATING: 8 classy looks & 1965 Mid Century Modern cool. (2018)

1965 Sony TA-1120 amplifier↑AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Very Good. UPGRADED: Excellent. 50w transistor.CC, PARA. 1965 TA-1120 has 2 lights on the front, 1967 TA-1120A has one light & a headphone socket Both have "1120" on the fascia if the rear label confirms "A" or not. The Very First Sony amplifier from Nov 1965 & Historically very important as the First All-Silicon transistor amplifier & a very high 50w. The Sony TA-1120A was the revised April 1967 version rather swiftly after, as the 1120 was too good. Sony ads by their London W1 showroom in HFN only start to show the TA-1120 in May 1967, only showed tape recorders before as Akai did, so chances are the original amp was only offered in the UK very briefly if the 1120A arrived a month after & would have been the one supplied. Aug 1967 Sony ad shows it again plus the rare TA-1080. Sept 1967 HFN actually reviews this first version as it mentions the 'Safety Light. TA-1120 likely from 120w Music Power rating? The ads only show Amps, Cartridges & Turntables for a few months, no sales meant back to tape again. The 1968 Audio Fair had a Sony stand with a very brief note in the June 1968 HFN saying "They gave very clean results and were remarkably natural sounding on speech and singing... FM Tuner ST-5000W looked most impressive" showing these were noted as being top quality but never reviewed & probably few shops stocked them. Possibly only their display model of the original 1120 was the only one that made it to the UK, soon replaced with a 1120A? This is the real early one with a green "Safety" light, beware these bulbs look like usual ones but are 100v 30mA as they work off 80v. If the bulb has failed as ours did after using for a while, to put a lower voltage bulb in with a certain value resistor in the circuit will get it lit again. There is no Headphone & "Solid State/46 Transistor" logo on the front. The manual states Serial 1000-4001 if ours is just over 5100. the TA-1120A numbers differently with an added '1' to start at 51011 if ours is higher than serial 5101, unless they goofed. Later came the 1967 TA-1120A & the rare 1971 TA-1120F looks like a cross between the 1120A & the 1130 as it's a Semi Complimentary output, probably like the STR-6200F is updating the STR-6120. The TA-1120 inside differs with a complex start-up that relies on a clean start on the circuit, but the manual warns it doesn't quite get it right & can take an eternity to start if we've not had this yet or had any issue. The Safety light is a little confusingly always On, rather than it being 'On' when there is a fault, it'd need a circuit fault to zero the lamp's voltage. No Headphone socket at all, though the TA-1120A one was useless as we state elsewhere. The back is the same if with screws not rivets. On testing Phono stages, we found the Output from Phono 1 to be very low if Phono 2 wasn't working. actualy these are 2 independent circuits, Ph1 has 5mV sensitivity & Ph2 has 1mV. TA-1120A has 1.2mV for both if they share the same circuit. The 1968 Dokorder 8060 has 2.5mV phono sensitivity, so the TA-1120 level will need comparing which suits best. Phono 2 uses the Tape Head input & both have EQ stages so are for MM. Early transistor circuits are interesting as based very much on Valve designs. Transistor count is Phono x2, Pre-Tone x7 including filter stages & a buffer, Power Amp x9 inc doubled output transistors. It looks ancient as well as very ahead of it's time & this is the first one we've seen for sale having looked for quite some time now. The seller had been reading the TA-1120A below (now edited) based on half-assed ideas they tried, always the risk. It rustles like a 1930s radio so some recapping required for sure, the 3 smaller rear ones look bad & leaky, the main one still has nearly 90v. It doesn't appear it'll play music if it does start to hear the noises which is a pity as we can't hear any idea of what it's like if voltages are there. The 1120(A) having no wood case does get very dirty inside with the open grille. Nearly 50 years old is a little scary for Hifi, so ours will get a full recap and upgrade if keeping as much original initially to see how good the design can be. The fact all resistors are Silver band shows the age if these aren't noisy & the value of the Volume control is surprising. 2SD45 original transistors here too, these are only 50w rated so are doubled in the design. Going through the design to recap shows how far ahead Sony were, with nothing really to refer back to, so the amp has busy preamp boards with L+R halves clearly seperate, with Tone Bypass a first as is the Pre Out-Main In. Phono is with 2 seperate stages with different EQ per stage, to be revealed. A rather daunting amp on seeing a messy one, but logical once learnt, if not too easy to work on. The 1120A simplifies the Phono stages & 1 less transistor in the Preamp plus far less capacitors. The 1120 power amp is a better design on the early stages, the 1120A loses one transistor but not in a good way. Looking to upgrade, the right preamp board with strange parts are early carbon resistors with stripes that look like ceramic capacitors, the others are less good carbon composition. The lighter red rectangle & cylinder are mylar capacitors & the dark red is mica, so all are good. The odd silver can at the base is a very early tantalum. The design is very well though out for an amp really leading the way with no references & it was soon simplified as the 'A' version, this certainly is a fascinating amp & is expected to sound much better than the 1120A which has all the sophisticated design removed. In terms of finding one, the Nov 1965 TA-1120 is very rare as only available for under 17 months in a market not into Transistors yet & the Apr 1967 TA-1120A is at least scarce. First proper play of it fully recapped & undoing previous owner snafus reveals a meaty bassy sound with good detail with high musical pleasure here. Very much a valve style sound with a well balanced punchy sound as Rock guitar proves, that sound is heard in very few transistor amplifiers. The first impression is this is an excellent amp to upgrade & if you found a high grade working one, it'd rate at least as shown based on the work we've done to get it working. On turning on, the relay clicks within a few seconds & the sound drifts in after about 10-15 seconds. Looking at the specs, -110db on noise still sounds right with not excessive noise up loud with no signal. Damping of 70 here sounds more like a 10-15 valve amp for the open bass, if recapped-upgraded now. The TA-1120A had a very feeble volume on both we had, this is not the case here at all, if the volume control needs to go halfway due to the contour. This amp must have caused a stir on how good it will have sounded in 1965, compared to the valve gear even 2 years later this is remarkably advanced. Is this the best amplifier ever? No wonder they released the dumbed the 1120A down quickly. Very rare to find, all Google shows is the 1120A with the headphone socket beyond old photos. For how excellent this sounds recapped, to leave the rest of the circuit as original shows how good this design is. Many amps need things altered to remove weaknesses, the TA-1120 sounds just so right. On speakers it has a very rich detailed sound, a sound that is unlike any other transistor amp. A hint we'll tell in hope to keep these alive is if the 100v front bulbs go, drop the voltage before the 6v or 12v bulb rather than do anything else as the bulb circuit isn't obvious. THE ST-5000 TUNER matches this, see the Tuners page for a review. THE WOOD CASES are now rare on these, Sizes are 432 W x 155 H x 303 D. front sides 14mm, rear sides 19mm adding spacers, the case is 12mm ply with a walnut veneer. The grille space is 369 x 121mm. BUY-RAW RATING: Advanced: Needs a full recap-rebuild as it's 50 years old which is far from easy. Bulbs are 100v & need a new design to use 12v ones, the 2 Microswitches on the Power switch may need replacing which will differ. This is a very complex & costly rebuild, the results are Excellent, if in reality the design is more a prototype & the TA-1120A is an easier amp to buy & upgrade. REBUILD RATING: This is an advanced expensive job to bring up to our standard. So much needs replacing & working on it is difficult. Look how ancient it is inside. A rare amp, but in real terms the later simplified TA-1120A is an easier upgrade to give results just as good. COOL RATING: 9 if only with the big walnut wood case, very strong looking amp with subtle classic style & nice layout, without the wood case a 7. (2014)

1965-66 Akai AA-5000(S) amplifier↑
AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Recommended-Very Good. UPGRADED: Excellent. 35w.
CC, 'S' version is Germanium Preamp & Silicon Power amp. We've known of this amp since getting the bigger AA-7000 receiver version as reviewed below. Not one that turns up if oddly two on ebay at the same time, one a 110v only one in worn grade as the earlier AA-5000 version & a nice Multivoltage one which we get, not cheap with the import fees but it's our game to try these Classic Era Amps in search of the Best ones. There are 2 versions, the AA-6000 with Germanium outputs & the AA-5000 S with Silicon outputs. Germaniums can be difficult so to get the Silicon version appealed. Cautious of it on 'Other Amps' page as no info was found to know it's Power Rating if only recently we got the Circuit Diagram. Rated as "110w Music power" when the AA-7000 is "100w Music Power" suggests the rating is somewhere 30w-40w if the AA-7000 tested like a 40w amp on clean Sine output. We Blogged on this in Sept 2018 on seeing this amp, priced a bit high to import if it nags at us "Try Me I'm Nice" so we give in & it arrived mid November. To see the circuits are quite unusual if at least it's a 30w one means it's worth a try. As we blogged before... The list of Transistors is shown, such as 2SB440 (Ger), 2SC362 (Sil), 2SB54 (Ger) with a selection of output transistors like 2SD46 (Sil) & 2SC493 (Sil). So is it worth trying? There are 2 versions, AA-5000 with Germanium outputs & AA-5000S with Silicon, the same Bendix output transistors the AA-7000 uses. The Aux goes through a large resistor into the Phono stage, but "Tape In" as often with this design bypasses the Phono stage. Circuit shows quite a lot of limiting, NFB & sound shaping. It is Capacitor coupled if with a very low 500µf axial that we can see is fitted on the board similar to how the AA-7000 does it, No Transformer Coupling here unlike the AA-7000. It works on 75v HT which suggests about 20w-25w at least. For "Tape In" use, the circuit goes to Passive Tone direct as the AA-7000 does. T1-3 are the Phono-Inputs stage, T4 & T5 are the Preamp transistors, with T6 onwards is the power amp. The power amp is very strange as was the AA-7000. It has to be tried, the AA-7000 is a very specialist one & we have one here as an upgrade which adds to the interest in comparing, after all the AA-5000 predates the AA-7000. They do appear in 1967-68 Hifi News Ads & were shown at the Audio Fair together, they will have looked Out Of This World for the styling. As it sits on the desk warming to Room Temperature from the 3°C overnight, it certainly looks way cool Retro in that very 1966 way, we like it. Bigger than expected as even inside pics don't really tell, it's 422mm wide, 135mm high & 270mm deep if 296mm deep including cotrol knobs & the Blanking Plugs on the rear. All original higher grade suggests it's an estate clearance item with one owner for 52 years if not much used. Top lid that unscrews from the rear under edge is silver-grey with grille slots that don't let in too much dust with ours. The Fascia has a aluminium panel with a dividing line that has the power Bulb in. Top Controls are Bass, Treble, Balance, Bass & treble so L+R Tone as did some early Fisher amps. Bottom row is Headphone socket, sliders for Power & Speaker, Mode inc Stereo & whatever 'Monitor' means is likely Tape input, Volume, Loudness, Liw & High Filters & Input Selector. Deeply engraved lettering filled with black. Has a Retro Industrial look with some very 1966 design that will certainly appeal today & probably didn't look that old fashioned in 1980 even. Rear panel has a line of Input sockets of the standard type to fit modern cables, DIN plus Phono sockets for tape with the old Tape Head input plus Phono, Tuner & Aux. Screw outputs for Speaker & the usual akai 6.3mm jacks for Speaker. Voltage selector behind a panel has you dial in "1" or "2" & then the other voltage to suit, apparently giving 14 options 100v-240v. also 2 Mains outlets if not saying Switched or not. Underside is part of the chassis with bolts & screws attached. Inside is interesting, it's basically a Mono Integrated Amplifier on one board with Outputs on the Heatsink frame done as 2 identical units, Stereo separation should be good. Capacitor Coupled by Axial Caps on the board. Output Transistors are later than the Manual ones, 2SD83 with 50w at 6A are all 4 & inside it's untouched as the fine non-smoker layer of dust tells. Unusual they use higher voltage ones 2SD83 are 150v when similar 2SD8x are 30v-200v. Transformer with 54v (AC) marked on both taps is about a 50w amp sized one, smaller than the AA-7000 if that had the Nuvistors to power plus the Tuner. The Nichicon main capacitor is 2000µf 80v plus a smaller 200µf 75v cap for the Preamps. Seller says 'Tested & Working' & the Power Lamp shown lit, if what Working on a 52 year old amp is actually is to be discovered. Rough & Noisy if plays a bit on both channels, but far from Tested, the usual "ebay buy", but we expect that knowing as many amps as we do. Needs a Service before trying again. very loud crackly noises are a little offputting. As typical 'Tested & Working' means the bulb lights, to us that's at least something. Now partly Serviced, it plays music fine, if unserviced it was bad & any non tech buyer wouldn't be pleased if they'd not buy a 52 year old amp perhaps. . Sound As Original & Part Serviced. Only giving it a quick play for the aged before taking apart more, Transistor hiss & a slight hum if the Music sounds aged but still lively & punchy, Stereo is wider than a usual 'raw' amp & Rock has some weight to it, midrange focus appears good if some treble blurring plus it is playing Aux through the large Resistor into the Phono stage. AA-5000 S vs AA-7000 as Original compared to the AA-7000 with some recapping to hear it near-original, the AA-5000S is noticeably the better sounding, so to get the AA-7000 again to be sure. Bit of a clunk on power off suggests the Power Supply needs attention, but to be expected as 52 years old. AA-7000 on, quite a noisy background with volume up a bit, only a quick try on two tracks, the AA-5000 S has a more punchy sound, the AA-7000 is more restrained & doesn't really get a hold of Rock too well. The AA-7000 has less amplifying stages in the preamp, it sounds more like a Passive Preamp if that sound can be a little too soft. The AA-7000 looks very different inside in components even, if the 5000 does have 'Akai' marked boards. More Inside. The Main Pre & Power boards unscrew from underneath & then off the heatsink but not easy to work on, all apart job from the back panel. Shop sticker underneath shows a PS Diode was all they replaced. Original is a SW-1 round type of about 1.2A as in many 1960s amps, if they insanely put a 1N4037 62v Zener Diode of just 20mA, these TV repair types are a menace, 'Florence Electronics' of SC 29501 sticker, a shop area address, metal as aged under the shiny sticker so probably a 1990s 'repair'? The front Amp stage has lots of wires going underneath, should be tied, but one squashed between the metal parts is just as you'd expect, as is losing 1 screw & 4 washers. Top Lid screws are strange, don't undo them fully, just undo half a turn & slide back the top, else if you undo the screws fully the lid must have the captive nuts hanging down to get the screw back in. Now To Upgrade You. Getting to see the Main Circuit Board with Phono, Pre-Tone & Power Amp, this has Nichicon capacitors & silver mica capacitors to show quality. Ours must be later with AA500023 board & 2SA/2SC485 as were used in 1969 Pioneer etc. T8 is on the Heatsink used as a 2 wire Diode. AA5000S implies it's All Silicon, it's not, of 12 Transistors per channel 6 are Germanium. Preamp is all Germanium except one & Power amp is all Silicon except T8. To assume the AA5000 non 'S' that will be from 1965 was Germanium entirely. Care needed as the Boards have values marked that aren't as fitted. Now All Recapped with Upgrades if the Circuit unaltered, the sound with Germaniums in the preamp like the 1965 Sansui TR-707A we completed only just before is smooth if as it has NFB in the preamp it sounds less open than the Sansui. But it still sounds Great, Wide Stereo as Pre & Power amps on separate boards, not quite as Bassy (yet) as the Sansui but Rock Guitar sounds full bodied as midrange is solid. Volume comes after Tone & into TR4 so with Volume at zero you hear no Germanium hiss if up louder it's quite a Sea of Hiss, Sea sounding, if not full range white noise. Neither the AA-5000 or AA-7000 are with silent backgrounds as the specs tell also. Going onto Phono input the Sea noise is quite high on both channels equally & will not be acceptable perhaps, if we've not tried a Turntable on it & put the Blanking Plug back which makes it quiet. After a long play of this & seeing a few changes to make, Bass is much better & stll using the aux In as it sounds good. One Bassy track really hit hard showing this amp has some kick to it now. But it's Germaniums & they are typically noisy. We'd leave it as Germaniums as with the Sansui as the smooth sweet sound is worth hearing, if to tell a potential buyer of the noise on this Stylish Mid Century Rare Amplifier, which is the appeal of it after all. We initially rated it 'Very Good-Excellent', the Music itself is Excellent, if the Germanium noise makes it less modern. Aux goes through the Phono stage if using Tape Monitor input it bypasses that & sounds just slightly cleaner if bass is slightly better if that can be improved. Different to the Sansui TR-707A but as good a sound. A Few More Changes got it into 'Excellent' & on speakers it sounds very decent with barely any turn-on sound & no hiss with just a tiny bit heard with volume midway that Silicon amps have similarly. Comparing Akai AA-5000 to AA-7000: see the Dec 2018 Blog page for comparing both together. Testing The AA-5000S reveals it is around 35w for a clean 25w sine output. On testing both channels, the Germaniums are what they are & a slight rounding of the lower sinewave at any power shows, not clipping & not for us to try to perfect Germanium design. BUY-RAW RATING: 1966 amp may work but not very well as too old. COOL RATING: 8.5 pure Mid Century Retro Cool as with the AA-7000, very few amps this stylish. (2018-2019)

1966 Akai AA-7000 receiver↑
AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Very Good. UPGRADED: Excellent. 40w.
CC, Transformer coupled. After success with this brand finding the 1970 Akai AA-8500 below, to look out for more. This is a slimline designer looking receiver, the sort of modern design Bang & Olufsen will have seen. Thick wood sides with a dust trapping solid cast grille. Fully featured receiver, if no Filters which is unusual but these can compromise a design. First appears in Hi-Fi News April 1967 in the 'Audio Fair Preview' shows a picture, price was £147 5s, despite Akai having a London showroom as did Sony, they mostly sold Tape machines. On getting the not-great circuit diagram, as it's 1966 it has 6CW4 Nuvistors for the Tuner stage still. The circuit in transistors is Phono x2, Tone-Pre x1, Power Amp driver x3, Transformer coupling splitter to Output pair. The schematic is awful blurry with little detail to know even the components which makes it tricky. Appears in the 1967/68 HFYB as '40w music' for £156, if it's 40w RMS from giving 27v clean sine & the brochures say it weighs 13kg which is heavy for the slim size & the high price is in the range of the Fisher receivers. Not expecting this to be easy, but certainly worthwhile. The AA-7000 & AA-5000 brochure suggests the AA-7000 has germanium outputs if they aren't, the slighly later AA-5000 seems an updated design with silicons & no coupling transformer but only 8kg. AA-5000 first appears Apr 1968 in 'Hifi sound' mag advert, rated 15w for 75gns (£79). The AA-7000 is actually very large 52cm wide, 11cm high & 44cm deep. On getting our new coffee table, aka this huge amp, it's very impressive 1" thick solid wood sides aka veneered ply, huge glass tuner display, Silicon outputs the same as the Sansui 3000A had the Bendix B170008 'orange'. The tuner has a space for '102' but even the ad shows it's not included, strange. The top is in two parts with the power amp output stage on the front one with 2 cable plugs. We've seen some stylish Hifi but this one will have delighted the women as it looks so cool, not some plain box thing, this is a designer piece. The transformer is a block one the full height, the size you see in 50w amps. The recess for the AM antenna which is usually a pain on receivers is mostly out of the way. Multivoltage switch & plug under a small cover to set to 6 voltages, ours was sold for 110v, can't see many UK buyers after this in 1966. The input phono sockets are the good not conical ones, Muting & FM gain switches, Speaker out is like the AA-8500 via 6.3mm mono jacks or more typical screw connectors. Amps like this need to be in Museums as Mid Century classics like Eames chairs, why is Hifi so underappreciated for design? All amps pre 1969 seem to need a full recap, after that the quality must have improved, but a 1966 amp needs a full rebuild. Still has the small grey hollow resistors like valve amps use & some are handpainted for the value lines. The power amp top lid section has 'Riken' large capacitors called "Dry Electrolytic" which doesn't quite make sense, cutting them open shows they are a typical electrolytic cap if dry & slightly crusty from age if smells different. Amps like this keep our interest in this alive. To get to the fascia etc, lids off, sides off, tuner part off & then 8 bulbs which are 6.3v bayonet type. To be extra careful of the tuner glass blue-grey & white lettering is important: if it looks 'bubbly' it'll wash off with just water as ours did, we know how to redo it. To recap this to our standards is a tricky one too, the 4 large caps are one single, one double & two triple so 9 caps in 4 cases. This amp has had a full recap on all but the 4 largest caps including the tuner, reveals an excellent sound, wide stereo & deep full bass shows it certainly is worth the effort. The "P85" driver transistor is in the AA5000 also & that's the full name, P85 specs unknown. We initially left the 150v tuner ones as original as they get light use & having cut similar apart, they are still good, if it could be redone fully. The 3 larger caps were barely damp but not crusty so one you could get away with using occasionally. There are two minor versions, the side boards are solid veneered ply on the early ones, later the ply was machined out on the inside, holes in the metal sides made & metal runners added on the top edge which are vents for the inside, this is original & appears a rarer version from ones found online. There isn't much heat inside only the NuVistors, the top lid is the amp heatsink. The later one adds a resistor & transistor to the output stages, but the glue rusts the transistor & ruins it. As the manual doesn't show this addition, it appears to be the nearly the same as the Sansui 3000A output stage adding stability, if it works fine without it. The sound as recapped & upgraded on the Tannoy Golds is extremely good, rating a very high Excellent. The solid bassline this amp has as well as sweet crisp treble & a midrange smoothness & dynamics that rivals our valve amps. A tricky amp to get right, but a real winner if you have the space for it. The 1966 TX Coupled Design got a Revival in 1972-73 Akai AA-6300 & AA-6600 at about 25w-30w. The Transformer Coupled Power Amp also revived in the Nikko TRM-1200 from 1972 which was an update of the earlier TRM-120 from 1968. The AA-6600 is 30w, the 50w rating is Music Power, the AA-5000 works on 75v HT without the TX, the AA-7000 has 75v caps so will rate somewhere 30w-40w if we'll confirm that shortly. REVISITED 2018. We get one to upgrade for a Customer & on seeing it as original after the last two arrived 4-5 years ago, this amp is so ancient inside. The design gets the insides too hot with no ventilation & this one we only plugged in as the sales pics showed the lights on, the previous two were too far gone to even try. 1966 amp using parts more like 1964 amp, Nuvistors for the Tuner front end, amazingly the Tuner worked, if the amp hummed loudly, played R channel only & gets louder on turning off, it's way far gone. Still a great looker, but rather daunting seeing it as original & our final redone pics which aren't the ones on the site, this amp more or less needs 'the lot' updated if you want to use it daily. It's possible as we used ours for about 3 months daily, slight hum is still heard as the S:N ratio of this early design is more limited than what Sony TA-1120 got in 1965. Crazy amp, will never work for the hot resistors inside so to recap it partly to try it as near original but to just get L with loud Hum if R plays. so to do more. Now sorted & playing both channels to Play As Near Original as some recapping with upgrades & some new transistors can be. It's listenable with Bass it'd not have played before, still with the original Power Supply Caps. still some hum & transistor hiss as the Tone not done yet. Treble goes crisp if it's otherwise quite soft sounding with Stereo not very wide, if does improve with some use. The big resistors on the Power Amp driver board in the lower half of the amp get to a high 80°C & the 4 green Resistors on the Top Lid Power Amp get to 60°C which actually is Normal as designed. But this is with the top lid off, all closed up it'll be at least 20°C higher. As far as it's upgraded it sounds OK but far from the focus of similar amps. Plays Rock convincingly beyond the limits, a sound we tried a lot to upgrade & put the hot resistors on the top lid if that then ran at 40°C. A fairly loud 'click' noise gets us turning it off, after all the main caps are still 1966 ones. But to try the Tuners, FM not perfect if it plays Stereo of sorts if with distortion. AM works. Of the three we've had now, this one to have both working is unusual, the others had only FM in Mono or AM & still rather distorted even once the tuner boards recapped, which have the same too-aged cooked capacitors. Now All the Audio Stages Recapped. The 4 main capacitor cans contain 9 actual capacitors which is a challenge to recap properly. That done, the amp does still have background noise, a slight hum & turned up louder some dull hiss. this is the best we got out of the first one & it's the best the amp can be. It sounds on Headphones if on 95dB speakers it only slightly sounds in the Night quiet. The main caps were tired as 1966 vintage & those redone the amp sounds a huge amount better, beyond the background noise. That fast crisp sound is here & volume is adequate. Has an interesting 'Retro' sound for the unusual Power amp stages, certainly has a good Bass. Rock has an interesting sound, has enough weight if a strange mix of enough bite if quite relaxed too. Scores high on Musical Pleasure if to the level of upgrade this 2018 one has, it's not the most precise or focussed, but it still pleases as we found with our one on speakers for a few months. Our one got a lot more upgrades over more than a year to deserve an 'Excellent' if to be fair this is in the 'Very Good-Excellent' range. It has that sort of 'Germaniums' sound like the 1966 JVC MCA 104E had, not the most precise but very sweet which was always the verdict on our AA-7000 from before. Fascinating amp, great Mid Century looks like No other & it Sounds Great once rebuilt, which is a big job. Amp Compares. Later remembering a design change we did to our one reduced the hum quite considerably that also tightens up the sound that was a litle blurry, it was a bit noisy on speakers. Very strange amp, we've never read a review of it or the AA-5000, to wonder what buyers at the time thought. We test a few Upgraded-Recapped amps against the AA-7000, before the later change above, it's sound compared to the 'Best' we tested is interesting, a big open soundstage, not as crisply focussed as one a lot more upgraded, but certainly more pleasurable than a few we were surprised at for not liking so much. The AA-7000 does leave you wanting a bit more volume from it, if a sound that really makes you listen plus a very solid bass, despite the background noise. The Tone Stage is almost Passive beyond the one transistor for gain on using Tone gain, so if set Flat it's not adding gain. As different as a Valve Amp sounds in it's presentation & the amp we tested before it was the LX33 valve amp. Two amps we tested only got a very brief play if the AA-7000 stayed much longer. It suits certain types of music better than others, Rock guitar sounds a little soft when other tracks sound great. The more you listen the more the not-typical sound opens up. It's why we used our one on Speakers for months, it's a hypnotic amp. Comparing Akai AA-7000 to AA-5000: see the Dec 2018 Blog page for comparing both together. BUY-RAW RATING-REBUILD RATING: Will need a full rebuild & recapping as too old & it's got other tricky issues, but well worth the effort. We've had three of these, to rebuild is an advanced job as so much needs redoing. To fairly say this Amp is the one that needs the most redoing just to get it to be reliable. Very Advanced Job here, if Pretty Looks Mid Century Modern may attract, the rebuild job condensed into a customer job is an extreme one. COOL RATING: 9 the first 'designer' styled Hifi, unique looks with high quality build, made to impress. Treat it kindly & it'll not disappoint. (2015-16-18)

1966 Armstrong 221 valve amplifier↑
AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Hopeless. UPGRADED: Hopeless. 10w valve.This mediocre UK made crappity amp is as far apart in quality from the Rogers valve amps above you can get. It needed a full recap as cheapo plastic case capacitors long since failed. Very basic design sold as budget gear when new probably to upgrade from a Radiogram. Hifi ours certainly wasn't even after recapping the nasty thing. It wasn't worth the effort as the design was poor and the sound was messy & very weak on treble as it was severely rolled off & bad harmonics on the treble. Swapping valves didn't help. Silicon transistor phono stage & a very average amp indeed, felt a bit time wasted on recapping it, but you got to try to know. UK 220-240v only but a US buyer went for it, probably thinking it was worth a try. Average crap appears to be the norm with this brand, so avoid. The Armstrong 222 is a cheaper version from 1963 without a MM Phono, someone way overpaid for one in Apr 2014. As with any amp there are those who love theirs in blind ignorance of better, but you do get the idea they paid a tenner for it & got it working, which is good as they'll be trying more vintage, but Armstrong is only a first step in Hifi, so don't overpay. This is a 2012 rated amp, but it's poor quality in many places stands as fair comment & we'd not dream of trying one again. REBUILD RATING: The design is just too limited to bother with it. we rebuilt ours in 2012 & you can read the opinion. BUY-RAW RATING: Poor. Needs full recap to even try it & then agree it's crap. COOL RATING: 7 actually quite decent looking with the perspex front & the full wood case. (2012)

1966 Coral A-550 amplifier↑
AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Very Good. UPGRADED: Excellent. 18w.
CC. A rare early Transistor amp and all Silicon, it must have been bought overseas as a very rare hifi brand. One oddity is it has no power amp adjust pots at all suggesting it's 1965 or 1966 as other 1967 have them & the hand painted resistor lines as well as caps marked - or + randomly. Only 18w apparently but still interesting enough to try & the others by this obscure Japanese brand look interesting, as shown on audio-database.com & audio-heritage.jp. A UK Midlands dealer must have bought old remainder stock in Oct 1970 as they advertise this in HFN mag. Only the Coral A-707 35w £78 appears in the HFYB & the brand is gone from the UK by 1970, we noted it as 'interesting' on our List of Amps page. Other Coral are '25w' A-7 amp if only 70VA so 15w probably, 35w A-707 amp, bizarre looking 30w A-1000 amp, 30w AX-3000 receiver, a later looking 17w TA-5000 receiver possibly a 1969 one, also a TA-3000A will be lower power & TA-7700 a 50w receiver looking rather like the Sansui 3000A from the back view sold as Hanimex also as found on AK site. 1974-75 HFYB lists Hanimex in receivers but no details. The A-550 actually has a MC stage, as there is a Coral MC cartridge, which must be the earliest, the 1969 Trio-Kenwood KA-6000 also has a MC stage. Appears they continued without Amps under the Coral brand until the mid 1980s with Loudspeakers of a high quality. Their CP-701 turntable has that Japan only cool 60s styling that never got exported. Audio-Heritage site shows more detail & it has early black dome silicon like the Sansui AU-999 uses, these can get hissy. With the MC stage & pre out-main in, it's predating the KA-6000 again. Interesting to see what an early amplifier made by a quality brand that didn't survive long will be like. The Coral TA-7700 at 50w is one to find if the circuits look so early, more a historical piece. as 18w only in the league of the similar small Trio-Kenwoods below, but not quite, the build quality & the Moving Coil Phono show a very interesting design. On first play, the high quality sound the NatPan SA-65 has as original is here, smooth & detailed. Punchy little amp with a proper volume if Deep Bass limited as 18w would need. But yet another early gem proving the earlier ones are the best sounding for pure musical pleasure. For those wondering, 2200µf 50v main cap with 44v HT on it, Nippon capacitors, no disc ceramics if there are early tube type ones of some sort used upright & Alps pots. The Phono stages are 2 boards under a metal can. Transistor count per channel is Phono: MC x1, MM x2, Tone-Pre x2 with an extra as an SCR, Power amp just 6. Transistors are CDC-13000-10, CDC-8002-1-C & CDC-10000-1E. Output transistors are Sanken 2SD92 Silicon 20w TO66. Sound is very clean, lively & more punchy than 18w would suggest, no grain at all, Bass is limited by design but is not unappealing. Our neon had failed so to fit a NOS 7mm flat top one inside the bezel works to keep it looking right. Even has the tie tag warning about the MM stage, rare! A collector's piece indeed. After our first use of it, leaving it a few days it woke it up deserving a higher rating than "Very Good" of before. For an 18w amp the volume is still very good with no lacking at all in the sound beyond deep bass, it's just accurate, fast & clean on the orig spec. Can even cope well with busy Rock to a decent level, all on the apparently low spec, remarkable. On the Tannoy Golds it sound Very Good, bearing in mind 18w is nearly halfway on the volume, but loud enough for most with a beautiful accurate sound. Speaker connecting allows 2 pairs but not together & L+R are not the top row, but 2 up 2 down if not marked clearly. Plays very wide stereo on speakers, once balance centred. Another 1967 "Excellent" as original winner. You'll struggle to find a valve amp sounding this sweet. The only problem with an amp this early is the spec wanders due to age, with the preamp & the power amp being 41% different on output voltages. We'd not really wanted to upgrade this, but as it sounds so nice but imbalanced, it has to be done to balance it properly. Originality isn't possible, though it works, the balance is off. Recapping sorts it a bit as a few looked bad but putting in 4 closely matched preamp transistors sorts it. We kept the original parts & 2-core cable in case the buyer wants to match the old ones to keep it still original. The buyer wanted capacitor upgrades rather than keep it original & once done volume is better with no background hiss & with the Bass control at +1.5 it sounds very good indeed. We later heard the buyer found this is more musical than 'silly money' amps. Are we surprised? In 2017 reading through these this amp is remembered fondly, nice little amp of high quality. BUY-RAW RATING: Good if early parts can be off spec. This amplifier needs a proper 3 core mains + earth cable, see above. REBUILD RATING: Not too difficult for a Pro, but no Service Manual diagrams keeps the full design from being understood. COOL RATING: 7 not the prettiest amp but in the wood case it has serious Bachelor Pad looks. (2014)

1966 Duette SA-500W amplifier↑AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Recommended-Very Good. UPGRADED: Very Good. approx 16w-18w all GermaniumsWe champion the deeply obscure & forgotten gems such as amps like the wonderful Coral & early JVC amps show. This Duette is another obscure one, if actually one with zero web presence beyond us so we research it, to the point it didn't exist anywhere not even on Japanese sites hidden in translation. The brand we saw in the HFYBs on doing the listing pages & it was imported as a bargain clear out for a Discount store as the early JVC ones were, as it appears belatedly in 1971-73 as imported by a JJ Silber Ltd London EC1 distributor but didn't sell as too old looking as were the JVC. Oct 1970 HFN mag has a full page ad looking more like another item starting with "Du..." with an unclothed couple sitting slightly immodestly with "Duette for lovers of pure sound". Silber do 'Duette' adverts for 13 months in total gone by Dec 1971 if the SA-500 is only in half of them, the later ones still with the same theme but receiver & speaker combos, so there must have been sales or a bulk advert buy hoping for sales, but why so totally unknown? The Feb 1972 HFN shows only a shop that advertised regularly, F. Cave with 4 shops in London had these amid other more known ones. There also were Duette SAT260X & SAT460(X) receivers both noted 12w again wrong power ratings, again looking like decent 1967 looking designs as all pictured in the HFYB. The HFN ad adds SAT-4370 black fronted receiver & 2 small speakers. The range in the HFYB is SA616 6w £20 actually is 6w as back label says '20w (VA) max & very basic, SA400 6w £32 & SA-500 10w £40 but the power ratings aren't always correct as the SA500 case shows 70w total power as is the JVC 5010 that is 16w with a tuner stage, so expect at least 16w here. There are two versions of the SA500, the advert one is silver front with a metal lid & an extra rocker switch, the black fascia one we have is in the wood case with 3 rocker switches, losing the High Filter & moving headphone & power switch to the left. The styling looks 1966-67 with rocker switches & it having TO3 transistors on the back panel suggests it's worth a try. We see it says 'Made in Japan' on the back so odds are it's in the league of the Coral & JVC amps which we liked & worth a gamble. It has a 'Tape Head' input which was abandoned by 1969 on amps. As expected, this is very early. 2SB126 which are 40w Germaniums Others are 2SB400, 2SB173 & AC128 all Germaniums AC128 is a EU Philips one aka 2N2706. Sound wasn't much as the seller stated if the sweet germaniums sound still obvious. Needs recapping as some are swollen. Reading the voltages it works on ±24v & with no output capacitors. It has power amp to output stage coupling transformers like the Sansui 3000A & NatPan SA65 have. This means no Output Transformers on the Speaker outputs as the 1.5A Speaker fuse comes from the output transistors-resistors. DC offset is good too so a very unusual design here. It has Tape Head, Phono Mag & Cer, Tuner & Aux inputs on standard size phono sockets, Tape loop if no DIN socket, one speaker pair, a Mains outlet & 3 fuses, the Mains one is 2A. The main PCB has 4 transistors for all stages plus the AC128 on a heatsink, so just 5 transistors plus the output pair, so Phono MM & Ceramic-Tape Head, Tone is passive on Line Level, Power Amp x3 inc the heatsinked Driver plus the splitter transformers & the outputs. Hifi of dreams pure valve design in Germaniums if not too dissimiliar to the NatPan SA65 circuit. This is 240v only so likely bought cheap into the UK after sales failed elsewhere in Europe, by how unknown they are it might have been just 6 of each model. It uses Matushita, Sanyo, Cosmos, Atlas parts plus Lily(?) & Orion caps, the 2 main ones grey with the Δ logo & Nasu film caps. Pictured in metal lid in HFYB if this has a walnut veneer case. After working the circuit out to recap, replaced just the one bad one & played it properly as original if serviced. All Germaniums is a remarkable sound with such a minimal but high quality design. Very fast, accurate & crisp with proper bass weight on guitar riffs and very wide stereo even on the orig spec if a little hum if the 2 main caps not upgraded yet. Playing Germanium transistor Amps like this make you realise Hifi only got worse sounding as it "improved", the sound of this even original is extreme. It sounds quite 'dull' if then you listen & hear the treble is untainted & crisp to a limit as below, as is found with valve amps, no Silicon transistor fizz. This sounds so good even original perhaps we should keep it quiet... It does surprisingly have 47k on Aux-Tuner inputs, allows more gain & probably why what looks a 16w amp is limited to 10w as their specs in the HFN ad show. But without them it makes awful noises on start up! Also can't hear anything over 13kHz so the AC128 must be aged & the noisy one so we get a better spec one & find the noise is still there if the HF range is improved. But background noise keeps what sounds sublime down half a grade as the noise on one channel is 14mV if the side that is silent on 95dB speakers is 8mV, it appears to be around the output stages. Now upgraded it gives 17v clean sine so is about 16w-18w, just as we expected. Amps like these are fascinating, the design is very early so best not to go too deep into it if give it a bit more gain. Beyond the minor noise & whistles on turn on, the sound is sublime, sweet effortless & detailed & it has enough volume for the Tannoy Golds. In 2017 we remember this as a bit of an outsider, it had a pleasing sound if a bit Retro-Aged sounding. The buyer said it was a bit wild on their speakers if a fascinating sound for it. BUY-RAW RATING: Ours needed some recapping to even work right as so early if generally ok beyond that if can be much bettered by upgrading. REBUILD RATING: No Service Manuals keep it a bit limited in understanding if not too difficult we found. COOL RATING: 6 quite basic small looks but what a sound. (2015)

1966 Grundig SV 80 M amplifier↑
AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): --. UPGRADED: --. 40wShortly after getting the Revox A78 to try one of the Better EU Amplifiers, this one turns up too. we've not liked the EU & UK amps much & have tended to avoid them as they aren't so great. The truth is many UK & EU amps are Budget or Midprice so hardly showing the EU-UK Hifi scene at it's best. The 'shock' of all DIN sockets plus Hardboard backs was overcome before it arrived, if it does remind of the cheaper Radiograms & those "Radiogram Innards" Receiver-amplifiers of low power. Just got this as the circuits looked good & to find it's as early as 1966 & apparently a Classic in Europe if how unaware UK buyers are of these amps. The earlier Grundig SV-50 appears in the 1965/66 HFYB for £82 to assume it's 25w by the model number. The SV-80 is in the 1967/68 rated 30w for £97 & they continue into 1973 with other amplifiers in the SV series if not after 1973 for amplifiers. Densely built on a strong chassis if how to get to some boards looks difficult, lots to unscrew & then twist metal tabs to free the board from the frame is not good, it looks like it's not made to repair. The front preamp stage unscrews & appears to hinge up to get inside if the long central board looks difficult. Doubled Parallel Outputs with 2N 2148. Using good quality parts, lots of axial capacitors with some with that strange 'on end' wiring. Circuits look good mostly so it would likely sound good was why we tried, if Aux goes through Phono stage if this sometimes sounds acceptable. Would we get another one to fully recap & upgrade? No, the Revox is a nice amp but this has all the 'badness' in construction & strange obsolete parts that really isn't economical to do what looks like a huge job & then not get much more than £500 for if in high grade as buyers aren't keen on DIN sockets, the rebuild job in this would be a lot higher than sell price, so not for us. Maybe to try a late-run working one & just service, but the reality is issues crop up, so best to leave. BUY-RAW RATING: Probably OK if some caps look a bit aged. REBUILD RATING: Probably not worth us rebuilding & would be a tricky job for construction. COOL RATING: 5 not a bad looking amp in nice grade which is why we tried it. Hardboard back & base is poor though. (2018).

1966 JVC MCA-104E amplifier↑
AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Very Good. UPGRADED: Excellent. 16w
CC, Germaniums. Early JVC Nivico are/were totally ignored for the Graphic EQ feature, but read the 1967 JVC 5010U for why these are not reallly that different to a Tone Stage. The Japan sold ones were branded 'Victor' explaining the stuck-on JVC Nivico badge. The Japanese version was the 104 with 110v, the 104E is the export version with 240v multivoltage. Audio-Heritage.jp site shows the MCA series was 102 6w, 103 18w upright, 103B usual, 104 15w, 105. The brand is an exciting find. Having liked the two JVC receivers below, to look for a JVC early amp. The 105E manual is findable, it's a 32w amp so whatever this 104E is will do was the idea. But it's not what we expected, it's a much earlier amp as it has Victor 2SB407 PNP output transistors. They are 30w rated so must be around 15w-20w, but... they are Germaniums! Yes, Germanium TO3 output transistors & the 4 drivers are 2SB22 and 2SD30 NPN-PNP pair looking like a capacitor on 3 legs meaning Germaniums here too. 2SD30 is still used by hifi & guitar amp builders. How old is this amp? We've put 1966 but it could be earlier. The Armstrong 526 below was Germaniums but the awful UK ones, the Japanese ones were in the driver stage of the Trio TK140E below but not a particular problem, so to hear this will be interesting. The small signal transistors are the usual Silicon 2SC458 still used in 1969 Trio, but higher power ones as Germanium though the 1965 Sony TA-1120 is all Silicon. The JVC MCA-105E is all Silicon. The 1972 HFYB lists "MCA-104E 16w £72", the TVK site actually shows it's the JVC MCA-104Z which they say is the March 1971 update to the August 1968 '104' though it's possible the 104E is 1965-66 as JVC wouldn't be using Germaniums in 1968. Hifi News pictures this in July 1970 New products but in Dec 1970 only a Strand, London shop has the 104E for £72, JVC maybe exporting old stock, but expensive compared to the Leak 70 35w for the same price. A Dec 1970 Denham & Morely ad shows a JVC range but only the MCA-105E that replaced it. Not expecting too much, music on, crisp & lively with a bit of a bassline not too limited by the 470µf output caps. The Safety button is strange, Green light always on like the TA-1120 but press it & it cuts out quicker than Power off, it's a circuit breaker. No Loudness or Filter switches which is unusual. HT is 44v on a bare metal cased Elna showing it's unusually early. As you can gather from the two JVC below, the sound is going to be good, but Germaniums? Even dirty & dusty it sounds like no other transistor amp as all-original, what a clean honest sound. Transistor count is just 6 on the Power Amp. As with the Coral, no adjust pots confirm it's at least a 1966 design. Guitar guys like Germaniums & this amp has transfixed us & it's still untouched. Forget the lousy UK Germaniums that age badly, the Japanese ones are much better. The lack of silicon grain perhaps though it can be more the design. The 104E is "Smoother and Spongier" as one site says about Germaniums as well as effortlessly revealing layers of mush now gone, or what? Not how the other two JVC sounded, this 'effect' can go too far in hearing bad UK Mullard AD, OC etc Germaniums as in the Armstrong 526 where it turns to wading through treacle if oddly interesting to hear. Germaniums store a charge too so capacitance could be the smoothing, if detail is as crisp, the hard silicon wall sound has been knocked away. Fascinating sound & one to blow the mind. Once serviced it just sounds so right. The apparently low 470µf output capacitors don't limit even 30Hz if just about 5% down on 20Hz, impedance differences. Even as all original, and with ceramics, the sound is noticeably smoother & wider on high treble than the Heathkit amp which sounded Very Good days before. The minuses are background noise is pretty high & balance is midway at +2 to the left. But for the sound, this gets 'Excellent' & gets other amps rated back a little to reflect the new heights. No circuit diagrams, but Phono is the right board, power amp the middle one & preamp is in the metal case. Now recapped just the power amp board, some leaky ones found, but the bassline this amp now puts out still on the original caps elsewhere is rarely heard in valve amps, damping factor of 25 here. The Silicon transistors were hissy, but the Germaniums are silent almost, replacing the silicons doesn't lose any of the sweet sound. It sounds excellent on the Tannoy Golds, the effortless is noticeable & very pleasing to hear. With the 4 main caps upgraded, the sound is just so effortless & delicate if with enough bassy punch too, if certainly neutral & very honest sounding. It resolves busy rock tracks into what you'll not have heard before, so smooth, open sounding yet extra detailed, a hack reviewer would call it the much misused "valve-like" but what it is is certainly a delight for the ears. Can any transistor amp better this? After a few minor alterations, the smooth precise sound is still here, usually with silicon drivers there would be a little edginess on the design, but clearly Germaniums have similarities to Valves with harmonics as the Power Amp is otherwise much like a Silicon design, if the sound is unlike silicons. On speakers if you play the Tone flat for your preferred sound, this will sound as good, if needing Tone Gain the EQ is less broad than a Treble stage leaving it not quite giving the same gain where you need it. The MCA104E is 16w, the later MCA 104Z is 16w, MCA105E is 32w & a MCT-105E tuner matches. The range also has 5340 40w speakers, GB-1E ball speakers, 5250 turntable & CHR-250U 8 track player-recorder. In 2017 this one remembered as a great one as with the Coral amp. Sometimes amps get sold on a bit fast, but to look out for another one. 2018 Slight Update: One on ebay makes a high £138 after lots of 'fake' zero bids who oddly never win, likely based solely on our review. It's a sweet 16w amp with Germaniums & the best of the Germanium amps we've had. It's very smooth & precise for sure, it's not going to kick much & 16w is adequate on 95dB speakers. But it could be very hissy & there is no Schematic available, ours we got via JVC Japan on the basis it wasn't shared, tight on the copyright for some reason. BUY-RAW RATING: Good. REBUILD RATING: A basic design that's not too difficult, we did get a Circuit Diagram to understand it better. COOL RATING: 7 no wood case made & for it being a metal case can't really rate the looks higher if it looks smart with the black fascia with retro appeal. (2015).

1966 Rotel 100AMP amplifier↑AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): --. UPGRADED: --. 15w Germanium-Silicon.Very early Rotel amp that was in the 1970-71 HFYB if it's certainly from 1966 for several reasons, this was only £45 new in 1970. Cute weeny amp 331mm wide x 207mm deep x 108mm high just on the very nicely made teak veneer wood cases, if the amp inside with it's impressive wood effect metal lid is even smaller. Must have been one unsold for the Japanese market for the classy wood cases, other pics show this without them. We got the Rotel 120ST Tuner for AM/FM is cute, no ICs in this design if a 1969 date code shows it was available for some time, if why so rare on both?Read on to find out why. In 1970-71 HFYB £49, 2.5µV FM sensitivity. Amp & Tuner Multivoltage 117-230v switch inside so always intended to be sold Worldwide if one we've not seen before & realising it could be an early one, got to try. It's wrongly described at 'Silicon Outputs' in the HFYB, unless they were altered, if nearly the whole Pre & Power amp is Germaniums, the usually superior Japanese ones, if just one Silicon 2SC828A per channel hidden near the back. Sanyo 2SB407 30w PNP outputs, 2SD72 & 2SB405 are the TO1 drivers, 2SB173 TO1 early stages on the Power Amp. The Phono has 2SC644 which are early Silicons, the similar ideas in other early amps to keep noise low on high gain. Very 1966 fascia for long thin metal control knobs like the 1966 Akai AA7000 & early style slider switches that were rocker switches by 1967-68. The Amp back panel says 100VA meaning 100w full power drawn from mains, HFYB rates it 15w if a 32w later Rotel was rated 150VA so possibly 20w here? No info found on this amp, the model number is unlike any others, it must have been their first Model & Tuner in 1966 as not even Japanese Hifi sites list it or similar. Both Amp & Tuner must be considered at least "Rare". Rotel made no Valve amps so like Sony with the 1965 TA-1120, this has to be their first. No Circuit Diagrams, no Board Markings make this an amp for advanced Techs. 2200µf 63v main cap if with 40.2v if modest 470µf output caps reading about 20v, all Elnas. Knowing other Germanium amps, a surreal if pleasing sound, all rather low spec but fascinating is expected. Mains plug typically has a 13A 3kW fuse in, a 3A is best. Sound playing Mono tracks is better than expected, a decent sound balance if deeper Bass noticeably lacking. Controls all vague & typical unserviced effects and crackles. Be sure the UK 1970-71 buyer of this got a great sounding amp for very little money. Certainly better than the Duette amp & has a crispness to the sound that will put it with the JVC & Coral 1966 ones & perhaps ahead of those. Playing Mono tracks, Background noise is audible on headphones if not too high, hiss not hum. Not many amps are listenable to us as original & unserviced, as well as on 50 year old capacitors, if this with Germaniums is a good sound, surprisingly bassy for the spec, if a little Retro sounding. To recap means to understand the tiny board that has Pre & Power amp, all 70mm x 100mm of it, to drive you insane is a risk to recap, so we did the resistors too. The Rotel FAX series early amps would be similar circuits in Silicon, if unfindable manuals again, if the Rotel 110A amplifier is the next version in all-silicon from 1967 if actually not that similar as the Preamp stage is very different adding a Buffer & with a proper Tone stage not the grounded version that makes some earliest Trio-Kenwood a bit inaccurate. See the Blog page for Jun 2018 "Germanium Amps: Are They Any Good?" for more on this amp as we sort out all it's aging issues. UPDATE: On reading through the Hifi News mags to do more blogs, this Amp & Tuner gets a double page spread in the Nov 1969 issue by a Rank Org advert. Clearly a batch imported to clear as happened with other early Japanese brands. The wood cases possibly UK made. It tells the Specs, 15w RMS & interestingly the Inputs are rather low. MM Phono 4mV for Max output, Aux 200mV & Tuner 100mV. Far from the typical 1v of today, so really to try the Tuner & see if it plays clean on the Amp & then alter the inputs to not overload, sounds good. Tuner matches the Amp fine, so Aux & Phono need a Gain Reducing Input Circuit to work. The Input levels are not a typical one, that's all. Results: With the 'Extra' input on Adjust Pots to get a clean 12v before clipping shows our alterations are good. It's not the Most Hi-Fi Amp though with some background hum. Fit LEDs for the 3 input Source lights. Now worth selling as a Working amp if to fairly describe it for what it is. BUY-RAW RATING: Ours with Germanium Transistor issues & resistors on a high grade one can mean problems. REBUILD RATING: Likely needs a major rebuild which is high advanced with no manual. COOL RATING: 8 Great Cute Retro looks in the Teak Cases, probably very rare in the Wood Cases. (2018).

1966 Sansui Model 500A valve receiver↑AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Average-Recommended. UPGRADED: Not Worthy. 20w.A disappointing rushed effort by Sansui, the 500A was issued before the 3000A, despite one site's date errors, we saw it in a late 1966 Hifi News advert & was their last main valve series if nothing since the 1964 range previously. The 3000A is one of the best amps ever but the valve 500A is lousy. It's got some very poor design such as awful tone controls & filters as well as the HT being much too high for the 7189A valves making it easy to trash a valve. All valves are obsolete ones also. The input sockets are the useless oversized conical phono sockets, not the typical sort. As-is the amp needs the aged coupling capacitors replaced, our one had a these few replaced with the same low values. It sounded soft & weak if hinting that better was there, and based on the quality of the Sansui 3000A we spent much time upgrading it. But the design is very poor & with AC preamp heaters once getting away from the deliberately low spec that hides the weaknesses it revealed more issues each time, look how rubbish the tone & filters are to see lack of care in design. We just gave up on it & were glad to get rid of it, sometimes you have to cut your losses as it displeases. It did appear again for sale after the buyer spent a lot finishing it but they didn't get back their investment, our review pulls no punches & shows this was the only amp we decided was too lousy to complete, beyond ones that didn't survive. We'll not bother with the 1000 or 1000A if this is how poor they are, valve forums we've read on the 1000(A) say design is bad there too, this is Sansui who made great Transistor amps but Valve amps with issues. There is the valve AU-111 that looks great too, see the Other Amps page for more on the 500A & other Sansui valve, we have researched. Buy it to use just with new coupling caps for a soft retro sound, but don't even bother upgrading it as you can see it failed. The headphone circuit is rubbish too, it lacks loading circuitry that the 1963 Trio above have was realised, so don't use it on headphones seems best as it's illogical as you'll find & why it trashed valves. Bad design by a brand that excelled with the wonderful Sansui 3000A below. We'll point out the problems as amps good & bad teach us more. The HT is very high for EL84s & with the Headphone design weakness the output valves get destroyed way too easily, this suggests with speakers it might not be as stable either. Tone & Filter circuits are very poor to the point the High Filter just nulls the Treble. BUY-RAW RATING: Usual bad coupling capacitors, but much more is poor too. REBUILD RATING: The difficulties are based on poor design & non-standard valves compared to ones still made. Not one worth going too deep into sadly. COOL RATING: 7 in the wood case, now this is very similar to the 1967 3000A but this loses points for the cheap plastic control knobs & grey fascia half, without the wood case it's a 5. (2014)

1966 Sansui Model 3000 receiver↑AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): --. UPGRADED: --. 45w.SC, Transformer coupled. There are Two Versions of this amp & to see they need to be put into the rare 1966-67 "3000" & the findable 1968-69 "3000A". So see the 1968 version for our earlier opinion & more info. First seen advertised as 'New' in Dec 1966 HFN with Sansui adverts & by Jan 1967 'Lasky's Radio' ads show they became the first UK distributors. Damping factor of 15 gives it a valve amp styled bass. Dec 1967 Sansui ad shows the 3000 if by Jan 1968 the 3000A is mentioned. The 1966 one appears to be the same on most boards visually if there will be differences so we need the 3000 service manual. The 1966 flyer shows the lower fascia as medium grey with black print, if ones online show black with white print like the 3000A is. The 3000 is much rarer than the popular 3000A that sold in the Army & Navy stores so it's quite a common find on USA ebay, if prices are still modest as the amp being so old on either version does require a full rebuild which is advanced work & costly. Transistors on this differ, the Power Amp Driver six are a strange type with a flange but much smaller than the TO66, the 1965 Sony TA-1120 has similar & long obsolete style. 3000 to 3000A Visual Differences. Overall they look the same if there are subtle differences, the Volume & Balance are swapped positions 3000 to 3000A, the lever switches get swapped around, 3000A loses the AFC tuner switch to add 2 speaker pairs switches. Tuner glass is mostly white on 3000 if light blue on 3000A. Typeface on the model number, Solidstate vs Solid State, extra rotary control graduations on 3000A, plus "Function" on 3000 is renamed "Selector" on 3000A. Rear Panel only differs for One or Two Speaker pairs if the 3000 has a L+R Centre out socket the 3000A lacks. Also the fixing screws on the 3000A are typical mix of - and + if the 3000 has smaller + ones & - ones on the speaker panel. All of minor interest, but it helps spot alterations or replacements. 3000 vs 3000A Circuits. The 'Protection' circuit that shuts off the Preamp is different TRW3A with TRW3B on the 3000A. Some components differ, diferent diodes on the Power Amp, different 800 ohm resistors plus the difference of 1 or 2 speaker pairs. Both have the Ceramic column which is 2x 2 ohm resistors for using on 4 ohm mode. The Preamp-Tone & Power Amp appear to be identical to the resistors as does the Power Supply. It was a great design to start with as early as 1966 which is interesting. Coupling Transformers. The biggest difference 3000 to 3000A are the Transformers for the Splitter state in the Power Amp. The 3000 manual says "Primary 500 ohm, Secondary 50 ohm" if the later 3000A manual has "Secondary 30 ohm". This will alter the sound & an Impedance difference could make the earlier one "too wild" if the 3000A after sales feedback was tamed more. Lower Secondary Resistance means less wire used so fewer turns, a 40% reduction is quite a difference, the output voltage will be 40% lower which will mean sound resolution will be lesser. 411-5293A/B is the 3000A one as on the 3 we've had. The 3000 is 411-5249 A/B as in the manual photo showing the difference. Driver Board Diodes. Some of the earliest 3000 have 4 diodes on the Driver board, so without the extra 4 across the Adjust Pots.
COOL RATING: --. (2018)

1967 Dynaco Stereo 120 power amp, PAT 4 preamp & AF6 FM-AM tuner↑AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Recommended-Very Good. UPGRADED: n/a. 35w. CC. The rating here is for the Power Amp only, This we got in an ugly home made cabinet with a high grade Garrard 301 grey-grease for £30 the lot in 1998. The tuner didn't work, the preamp we thought wasn't very good though it could have been faulty, but the power amp we liked. It does need a high 1.5v input, unlike the usual 400mV most power amps had which may have meant we never really got the best out of it. Capacitor coupled design with a strange wire wrapped around the output caps like an inductor. Used 2N3055 transistors & had a power amp board per channel. Nicely made on bright chromed base with a solid mesh lid, with a lit power switch, Phono sockets & some sort of better speaker connectors. From memory it had a nice clean accurate sound & probably got used with the Rogers Cadet III as the preamp. Dynaco came as a kit too as Dynakit branded. The AF6 tuner dates it to about 1968. We've seen this again to add this in 2017, the Preamp & Tuner were pretty average we remember, the Power Amp was a good one for it's age, if looking closer at inside pictures to get one to rebuild sort of loses interest as the build is a bit crude, using the output capacitors with wire coiled as an output coil. But overall the whole system seems a better buy than the Quad 33/303 that we don't like as the "Other Amps" page reveals. BUY-RAW RATING: For the Stereo 120 it was still good in 1998. REBUILD RATING: Not had one in ages, expect the main caps which are visible through the top mesh would not look so good redone. COOL RATING: 8 for the power amp is attractive with it's chrome & metal mesh lid, 4 on the pre & tuner are plain looking & oddly the power amp was meant for hiding in a cabinet as ours was.(1998).

1967 HH Scott Stereomaster 344-C/13 receiver↑AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Very Good. UPGRADED: Excellent. 32w.CC. Another one of the Big USA brands that saw limited distribution in the UK. This turns up in the 1970 Hifi Yearbook rated as 32w. Not a lot of info on this one or pictures of insides if we can get the Service Manual so worth a try. Looks like the other early USA Fisher & KLH type 'unique' build & certainly these early USA ones influenced the early Japanese gems. Even trying this as-arrived, the very clean USA sound is apparent, compared to how rough UK ones sounded, finesse & high quality build is certainly the deal here. The 344-C is the main version of the 344 range that started in 1965 with Nuvistors in the tuner stage & an identical looking higher power 384 adds MW & a rear antenna is 50w. Ours lacks the wood case as often these were built into consoles or cabinets, but with the leather effect top lid it's still smart if it has no feet so we'll add some. Aluminium chassis like the KLH if it's still quite a heavy amp. Transformer mounted on the rear panel for rigidity & the large tuner window is perspex so no glass to worry about like McIntosh have. Volume is called 'Loudness' and to use it Flat to press in the 'Volume Comp' button or it's in what we know as Loudness mode. The back has plastic covers over 2N3055s which is an early show for those & with a '67' code so original. this has a 110v-220v switch on the rear, a little too easy to catch it still. Speaker sockets for 2 pairs only have 3 screws per channel, double up on the 'O' ground one, strange. 'Preamp Sens' is for Phono gain, not actual Pre-Tone gain & it has 2x 'Extra' as Aux inputs. An unusual 4 pin socket on the rear is to measure bias to adjust inside. Pre-Tone & Power Amp share one board & it uses those tiny 1/4w carbon comp resistors like the KLH 27 has. It uses black plastic capacitors which aren't the lousy ones UK amps used like the Leak Delta 75 below, though they are aged & we'll recap it. Small transistors are plugged into sockets like the Fisher 600-T uses on some. All wires are single core, no shielded cable anywhere if it's twisted as pairs signal-ground & close to the casing so no hum. Of the Fisher & KLH this is the neatest built one & most like the early Japanese amps for it. On first play of it, slight background hiss as usual on early transistors. The sound sounded a little soft but turning volume past halfway brought it to life as did some use. Bass as always is lacking the deepest bass, hardly any amps dared to risk rumble from cheap turntables, but the sound was very clean, good detail & unusually good dynamics for an amp this early as original. The KLH 27 was soft & blurry, the Fisher 600-T sounded limited but this was unusually good. Addng some Soundcard EQ on the deep bass to fill it out to a more usual sound it still sounds better than some amps we've spent ages upgrading. On trying tracks with strong dynamics, it copes as good as a 65w amp, we've had 50w ones that can't deliver the kick without clipping. Manuals unwilling so we work out the circuit ourselves to recap it, the black electrolytics actually are the same Eire made Callins that are awful on some early 1970s amps, here recapping just the preamp half already hugely improves the sound. On doing the 3 bigger caps, the main one was dry & crusty so it wouldn't last long. The mysterious switch on the baseplate is to test the preamp as L, Normal & R. Now all recapped, the sound is certainly a quality one, a tight but fast fully extended bass, clean midrange, crisp clean treble & fully wide Stereo. as it's still on the original transistors as it sounds good speed, a little background noise if it doesn't intrude. As always with USA amps the Headphone L+R is wired the other way so we swap it as the Fisher & KLH needed. For music testing, Reggae sounds great, Rock is solid if not as weighty as 32w, but a tiny bit on the Bass & a little Treble cut reveal how accurate it is. Volume on headphones is as good as a 45w amp before it flattens off gently but it can deliver a good kick without wimping out. Not many amps are that good at any wattage, the buyer is in for a treat. We'll certainly try more HH Scott amps. On the Tannoy Golds this sounds exceptional, a real matter-of-fact sound with a very solid midrange, sweet treble & deep bass that gives what few amps can. It's 32w yet is as confident as higher power ones for the sound. Remembering it in 2017, one we never got the Service Manual for. Odd construction in Aluminium & no wood case, but a great sounding amp, if a little crudely built inside with push-in sockets for transistors. COOL RATING: 6.5 bachelor pad looks if would rate higher at 8 with the wood case. REBUILD RATING: No manuals found on this, not too complex to work out if the plug in transistors & awkward Phono stage could be bettered. BUY-RAW RATING: Needs a recap as the caps age too much if it should be working, if it'll be below it's best. (2015)

1967 JVC Nivico 5010U receiver↑AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Very Good. UPGRADED: Excellent. 16w.CC. Ignored for too long, look how we rate this amp. Not had an early Nivico branded JVC Japan Victor Company amp before though they were a big name in the late 1970s-early 1980s. The Japan sold ones were branded 'Victor' explaining the stuck-on JVC Nivico badge. This is a small receiver with mostly black front with green tuner lights & a 5 row SEA "Sound Effect Amplifier" Graphic Equaliser type tone control as JVC used on all at the time, but don't skip on just yet. These early JVC are seriously underrated, assuming they are similarly good as the 5010, the Graphic certainly puts buyers off thinking it's some IC junk, but it's not, it's a High Quality circuitry as so early & defeatable. It uses one transistor per channel with resistors & inductors, even if set flat it's better switched out. Full Treble tone needs the 5th slider max & the 4th midway to sound clean & no different to a regular Tone stage. Power rating says 40w on the front, this means 20w per channel continuous & we read a clean 15w sine so 20w is right. Oddly it appears in the 1972 HFYB, unsold remainder stock no doubt. The 5040 originally had Germanium tuner diodes, so the slightly later upgraded 'U' notation without them is probably from 1968. 2SC1061 output transistors are 25w rated if more used as regulators or drivers. One 2000µf 50v main cap & coupling capacitors a lowly 470µf 35v, higher power ones still only used 1000µf. Quite a heavy vinyl wrap wood case, very retro looks not dissimilar to early National receivers. The back has pre out-main in sockets & unusual link connectors for normal use, Phono inputs & a DIN tape plus 2 speaker sets on typical screw connectors. Another Very Good little amp. Plays loud for just 20w as based on valve design, so as 'loud' as a 20w valve amp & we've been playing it like a 40w amp & find it hard to trip up. Inside the Phono, Preamp & Power Amp are all on one long board. Bass with the lowly output caps uprated it reveals a far better sound overall, clean wide Stereo width worthy of 'Excellent' already, high praise indeed. It surprisingly does Rock well where other low power amps wimp out & even a hard kicking track like The Jam 'Start' is delivered as good as you'd want which defies the 20w rating more than a little. For how good this sounds all original & the minor uprated ones made a big difference to the fidelity overall, to recap is the only option, but no Service Manual & only a part 5003 to find online. Transistor count is Phono x2, Pre-EQ x2, Power amp x6. Recapped it is a lot crisper & later comparing the 5010U to the 5003 from 1969 noted below the sound is very close, as recapped it's cleaner on the treble but 20w to 50w isn't noticeably different until turned up loud. With the main capacitor uprated it sounds excellent, a very accurate solid midrange, crisp detailed treble & bass still strong going deep without too much it sounds as good as any 35w amp with deliberately played loud bass gently rolling off rather than clipping harshly, not many amps do that. On the Tannoy Golds, before getting the big main capacitor upgraded, it sounded a bit soft, but once the new cap fitted it again sounds like a 35w amp on the speakers for the clean precise sound. The JVC 5010U gets a 3 page review in March 1971, at least 3-4 years after it was first out. Rated 16w into 4 ohms, 13w into 8 ohms £135.93 new & they rated it just 12.5w, it read very low on power on 20Hz just 3.8w but that’s why we upgrade these amps as bass is always limited as is treble power. But it is loud enough not to clip out & sounds like a 30w amp. Watts don’t always mean volume though. They seem to like it for use and looks, but said it was too expensive & just about said not to buy it as you’re paying the extra for the SEA ‘novelty’ that you don’t really need, explains why JVC are rare. The mainly technical review doesn’t say anything about the sweet sound though. A remarkable amp currently deeply unappreciated elsewhere, but not for long... REVISITED 2016: Got one of these to recap & upgrade. This inspired us to get the other 1960s JVC to to hear one upgraded again reveals how great this amp is. For just 16w the sound is full bodied & musical, with clean crisp treble & extended tight bass. We've had a few great amps since as the list above shows, but the sound of this amp is a true benchmark for how good Hifi can be. The bigger 5030 & 5040 may have more power but this at 16w is a sweeter sound & still has adequate volume. The buyer of the first one still rates it highly we've been told. JVC kept this quality into their 1973 range as the designs aren't that dissimilar, if later ones we've not tried yet. It is only 16w & it can be heard smoothing off loud peaks, but it does it gently like valve amps do, none of the low spec 'Pioneer' roughness here. COOL RATING: 6 a little awkward looking in the big wood case loses it style appeal if the green tuner ups the score. REBUILD RATING: No manuals findable if we worked it out, Not too difficult to work on. BUY-RAW RATING: Good. (2014-16)

1967-69 JVC Nivico 5030 or 5003 receiver↑AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Very Good. UPGRADED: Excellent. 50w.CC. Aka the 1967 JVC Nivico 5030 & 1969 JVC Nivico 5003, just the Tuner is updated it appears as well as the styling. Ignored for too long is this brand for the fact it has a Graphic EQ instead of Tone. The Japan sold ones were branded 'Victor' explaining the stuck-on JVC Nivico badge. As with the JVC 5010U from 1967 above, the EQ is not a hideous IC based 1980s style mess, it's a one-transistor tone style one with inductors. See the 5010U section for more info. It sounds clean, can be fully switched out easily and once recapped sounds no different in or out. We had to try another early JVC after finding the 5010U so good, so this 50w slightly updated FET tuner version of 1967's 5030 and is a good one. FETs being just the first two in the FM tuner front end. These amps are totally ignored, except by us, but they are well made & sound Very Good. The boards are well spaced out, rather like the Pioneer SX-838 to SX-950 receivers, unlike how cramped the Trio-Kenwood TK-140X is. Large transformer, 2200µf 100v main cap & 1000µf output caps typical of the era. A red power switch and small white rocker switches are unusual, the back panel is very neatly set out. Turning it on, leaf-green display, very 60s retro pad styled & enough controls to scare. Very like the 5030 if it adds Tape Head & is rated 230VA not 190VA, just different fascia styling. This is often Multivoltage & the front sticker boasts "140w". Long time sleeping amp needs a good service before really telling how it sounds, noisy switches & the like. Not the easiest amp to get to the front controls inside though. First sound try reveals a sound unsurprisingly as good as the 5010U. Needs running in but clean, punchy, fast & accurate with wide Stereo imaging. Clearly as good sounding as many of the 1967-69 competition, oh how these have been unfairly ignored. Comparing to the 5010U now mostly recapped the sound is very close, recapped it's cleaner on the treble, the 5003 having a very solid midrange rarely found in any amplifiers. Circuit diagram findable, but it misses the power amp part. The power amp is the left rear board, the Phono, Tone-SEA & preamp is the right rear board, mid board is the power supply. After looking deeper, construction is quite bizarre if effective, never seen another amp like this & it was a 1967 design for the 5030 so they had little to learn from. The wood case is a very heavy weight with veneered ply. A large amp 53cm wide, 15cm high & 35cm deep. Fascinating amp though & with a very solid neutral sound. For it's 50w rating, 140w sticker (70w+70w) it puts out 33v clean sine, more like a 60w amp & runs on 88v HT. Only part of the service manual is findable, no power amp or power supply info. After recapping the pre & power amps as well as the power supply, the sound is very addictive, just so neutral & accurate with a clean treble, decent bass & unusually wide stereo. Does need accurate Bias adjusting to bring the sound out. Pioneer were never this good yet JVC despite being popular when new in the late 1970s are now almost ignored. Nivico is Nippon Victor Company, yet JVC is in the logo too. **The correct power ratings of these revealed in a Oct 1970 HFN ad, if the wattage is added L+R, so for our uses the 5010 is 16w, the 5020 28w, 5030/5003 50w & the 5040 is 75w. 5030 & 5003. We've had both of these now, the looks differ with switch & knob variations if the inside is similar beyond Tuner differences & an extra board between the 4 main caps. BUY-RAW RATING: Switches need a good servicing before working right, otherwise good. REBUILD RATING: This one is more involved to work on, the rear upright boards are hard to work on. 'Soggy' build quality is a little offputting. COOL RATING: 6 a big amp not so pretty in some ways, the big case is a bit clunky but the sound matters here. (2015)

1967 JVC Nivico 5040U receiver↑AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Very Good. UPGRADED: Excellent. 75w.CC. We've certainly liked these forgotten JVC Nivico amps so finding there is a genuine 75w version, to get it is the deal. Very rare, huge & tricky is this one, ours will be made out of two to get one good one as happens sometimes. The size of the amp in the case is 530mm wide x 390mm deep inc fascia-rear & 150mm high so outdoes the Sony STR6120 in the wood case by 20mm width. The first one had a bad selector which sort of finishes it, if it did work through Tape In. The sound as unserviced was very impressive & the dynamics of 75w on such an early amp was a bit special, even though the sound revealed weaknesses of age, the quality was easy to tell. The power amp is just 6 transistors which is remarkable. 8ohm continuous is rated 82.5w into 4 ohm. The JVC 5030 is the smaller version & we had the 5003 which is the same is a new tuner & minor visual changes. There are a few versions amid the same number on these. The one we got to make one good one out of shows the 5040 to 5040 Run 2 differences are Tape Head or Aux2 & the SEA is 10dB or 12dB gain, both here are the same. The Phono EQ circuit on the first is an IC of all things, but a MC-4080-1 is a 16 pin IC if ebay finds them for $48. What's inside it is probably very simple, if unknown. One for Phono (X601,603), one for Preamp (X607,609), an IC usually kills an amp but this is a 1967 one & in upgrading it, the IC is just a double transistor per channel with all external components so no bother at all, if it may be a Darlington like the Heathkit AR1500 preamp has. The Phono stage IC stage mostly corresponds to the 'Run 2' version' with 2 transistors not the IC to confirm it's a 'good' IC, we drew the circuit to compare. The Preamp IC is a gain stage before the Pre Out-In & the mid board 2 transistors are a buffer before the SEA stage. Dare we say the IC version of the preamp is superior, the Phono stage conforms to the Transistor version showing the IC is basic. Sophisticated if very kooky amp, there is a buffer stage in the preamp, like the 1965 Sony TA-1120 & Fisher 600-T uses, if ideas forgotten until the 1977 Yamaha CR-2020. The Preamp stage Inside the boards are fixed to the case so the height mostly is the transformer & capacitors. Odd with heatsinks on Diodes, never seen that in an amp & the first amp ran cool. It has an IC on the MPX board yet Germaniums in the IF circuit. The power amp is TO66 drivers with TO5/39 size others & 2SD41 output transistors which are remarkably 200w 10A TO3 silicons. The JVC Nivico 5010 & 5030 were reissued as 5001 & 5003 with an updated tuner, if there is no 5040 update. Now to recap & upgrade it as this one has the manual findable if only the Run 2 one so not exactly. The 'Protection' board is the Power supply board with extras, same on both versions. The transistor amid the main caps is the 'Caution' circuit & the big resistor drops the HT to the preamp. This sort of circuitry isn't dissimilar to the 1965 Sony TA1120. It recapped up very well & we'll keep the working parts amp intact as this amp is too good to part out & very rare too. No speakers in 1967 could take 75w so why buy it then? Biasing isn't explained well, meter on one of the 0.5 ohm rear resistors, set the plastic pot on the power amp board to the lowest value it can be, aka AC bias, then set the front ones to 40mV. Biasing is important as the sound can get rough. Recapped & upgraded, the sound is beyond what over-used words can say, but playing loud Punk & heavy Bass Reggae, we've not heard transistors sound this clean, effortless & precise with the highest musicality. Pity it's not such a great looker, more functional than stylish, but the sound is there. But for 1967 really 75w? yes it puts out 35v clean sine so well in the 75w rating. Comparing to the 130w Sansui AU-G90X the rich sound of the JVC leaves the Sansui sounding as loud but cardboardy lacking the openness of this wonderful JVC amp. The only minus for us with these great sounding early JVC is the SEA Equaliser. It in itself is a good design, but it doesn't have the same characteristic as a Tone Stage so we didn't try it for long on the Speakers. quirky build of these early JVC, but a great series to find. BUY-RAW RATING: The issue on these is the selector & speakers controls have brass cast rods so can break & also the selector bits inside break off if dry, so parts might not work for this. REBUILD RATING: Easier to work on than the 5030 in some ways if the front section is very hard to get into. COOL RATING: 6 a little awkward looking in the big wood case loses it style appeal if the green tuner ups the score. (2015)

1967 KLH Model 27 receiver↑
AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Average (needed recap). UPGRADED: Excellent. 30w
CC, Silicons, Germaniums, FET in Tuner 110v only? HFN Dec 1967 announces this as a New Amp that had 2 years in development, Germanium power amp drivers with Silicon outputs & still sold into 1970 by US trade ads that rate it 25w. A very 'James Bond' looking receiver with fine geared vernier dial tuning via two large independent controls for FM & AM. It also looks like a 1960s Electric Cooker too. Size is 34cm wide, 35cm deep & 12cm high, or 13" square LP size almost. The circuit diagram is available if a $15 one but it's needed. This has a FET & Germanium FM Tuner front end, has to be The Earliest One with FETs, unless you know better. This amp is Henry Kloss designed & he's an important name in design, if went beyond Hifi by 1967. Kloss, Loe & Hoffman is KLH. He quit KLH in 1968 if made those cool Tivoli radios years later, their 'sound shaping' design in less-hifi terms was better than any portable before. Supposedly the same as the "KLH Twenty-Twenty (Plus)" from 1965 minus the turntable. Looks like the sort of amp that would have been fixed into a Console as was the usual design. The Tuner works, the rear panel has a strange plastic 'shelf' which is just the AM antenna & the output transistors are under a cage when the antenna is undone. 3 fuses & 2 AC outlets, 2 speaker pairs, Mag Phono only which is unusual this early if a gain switch, Aux with 3 gain settings switch & a Tape loop. It has a mysterious "12v test" socket also which is the Tuner voltage. Ours is an early one 0011xx series if the schematic dated 1968 shows a minor change made at 003461 with R50 680R then changed to 470R. Output transistors are RCA 38272 Silicons TO3 size. No coupling transformers like other early amps. a Dec 1970 Electronics Review mag online wrongly says KLH 27 has no Headphone not seeing the 6.3mm socket under the Tuner verniers. It's rated 32.5w in tests at 1kHz $320 new in 1970 so to call it a 30w amp is fair. The side panels we lack appear to be plain walnut veneered particle board with hidden fittings & 2 screws near the fascia, to make a set not too hard. As Original it sounds very aged, a soft dull sounding low spec type of sound with thick bass. Cabling is a bit random wth a loose red wire 'sausage' midway shielding the cables, if they are not individually shielded as the Fisher is. Preamp is all Silicons 2N3392. The neon bulbs are very dim strangely with the fascia off & beware the 4 tiny orange display pieces as they are loose when cleaning. The side amp board underneath by the selector is for Phono with all Silicons for Aux & Tuner. Tape In goes direct to the Tone-Pre. Kooky heatsinks on the drivers if they only get slightly warm. A sign of classy design is the 4 control knobs on the left, with the splined-grooved fittings, find the right one for the control & it matches perfectly. Speaker connectors need a narrow Fork connector crimped to cables or a Ring one as the screws remove. Upgraded further to reveal a fresher sound it gets rated. For the ratings, to be fair on what you'd hear, as original spec it was no better than Average if needed work. But after a tricky time needing to lose the Germaniums as the design was too weak, it now sounds far better in just playing it for itself, clean crisp treble, solid midrange & correct bass weight going very deep. The design itself is good, bias can be set low to run cool. It's now fast sounding with a nice kick for a 30w amp if beware upgrading this amp as it reveals many weaknesses in the design. The 2 main diodes are 25A rated which is way overspec. Mono doesn't work on Tape In, which we use as direct input instead of through the Phono-Aux board that has Aux level settings as early. The Aux input is actually decent sounding, using Tape Monitor it sounds a little less trebly & more bassy. Headphone L+R is always swapped on earlier USA amps. On playing Rock with heavy guitar, the weight is unusually good unlike some scratchy sounding amps. This does rate very high for Musical Pleasure, stress-free listening, stereo is wide & detailed. The Tuner sounds good with the verniers nice to use, MW, FM & FM Stereo all working good is unusual. The smallest 30w FM Stereo Receiver there must be. BUY-RAW RATING: As nearly 50 years old recapping becomes required & the spec as original is too aged for our taste if care is needed as we state above. REBUILD RATING: Probably too advanced as so much needs redoing including poor power amp design & crappy tiny resistors. COOL RATING: 9 a real cute LP-cover sized amp if it needs wood sides which aren't hard to make. (2015-16 edited 2018)

1967 National Panasonic SA-65 receiver↑AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Very Good. UPGRADED: Excellent. 50w. SC, Transformer coupled. Updated 2019: Looking back at old reviews of amps we've not revisited doesn't quite put them in the right context of 2019. We had this amp 2013-14 & sold it in early 2015 at the same time we had the Sansui 3000A & spent a lot of time on both to upgrade. The early Panasonic-Technics were badged National-Panasonic & these are rarely seen in the UK with ones we've seen of their 1967-72 era always in Germany. After rebuilding the first one, we remember it needed a lot to get it working right, avoiding instability & keeping the Direct Coupled Speaker outputs set as near to 0v, the Bias & DC offset needs critical setting. Fitting new parts was a tricky one as spacing not ideal including redoing the main caps. A few hot resistors next to the Transformer that puts heat through the lid had the one who bought our one asking why, if they liked the sound of the amp & redone the dry varnish on the tight-fitting wood case. The one we get in 2019 has a messy recap by an amateur with wires all over the place, we really don't like getting amps like this & won't even trust it to plug in or waste hours checking it. We just clear it all out & start it afresh, you'll never find a proper restorer who is happy with anyone elses work as it makes ours look poor. If the customer doesn't want messy mismatched type resistors doing properly as on one amp we put the resistors weren't ours if were adequate otherwise, as we put our name inside. In 2014 we put that it sounds the best "as original" we'd heard at that point, we do get amps that sound good, but to listen further & find this "nice" sound is a mix of aging & design taming to have it sound nice, If it was so good, why rebuild it? Read the Yamaha CR-200 opinion, this still happens. Beyond looking at crappy work by another, it's still a great amp. The Green Tuner light bar is a ribbon on a pulley & a very stylish fascia which seems the best looker in the Nat-Pan range which has a 1966 SA-52 valve receiver if the 1969 SA-46 is the later version of this. 1971 HFN ad has this for £190 as they clear old stock as was often in the 1970-71 ads. A semi-complimentary design on ±35v HT. Clean sine is about 26v & the manual states 50w RMS. The Tuner IC is LM703L if still with the Germanium diodes. 2 power supply Transformers, the small one just for the bulbs, 2 phase splitter ones & one on the Protection board if not on the revisited one as they updated it. Output transistors 2SD218 early Silicons. 2014 Opinion: This was before we rebuilt all amps & this was a good amp to learn from, but as with the Sansui 3000A both got recapped & upgraded a lot learning how they sound & what isn't so good. Opinions from 5 years ago is 'early opinion' in terms of what we do now. To rewrite this was required as it's got forgotten how out-of-date the opinion is, if the amp is still a great one. To think it wasn't as Bassy on Speakers as the Sansui 3000A is because of the Sansui design being more 'designed' to sound as it does, if the design here is not so different. So to get another one to hear it with Fresh Opinions, these early amps were ones we upgraded first after using them as Original to learn the sound & what could be bettered. 2019 Opinion: The Central board from Right To Left is Phono-Inputs, then Pre-Tone then Power Amp. Aux goes to Preamp with other inputs to the Phono-Inputs stage, it reads 68K from Aux in to Pin 32/68 if the circuit doesn't tell this. The design is not unlike the 1965 Sansui TR-707A & 1967 Toshiba SA-15Y. Complex & unusual design with NFB stages, Passive Tone stage into the Pre-Power Coupling with the Transformer Coupled Power Amp not unlike the Sansui 3000(A). Looking at it after knowing other amps including the Akai AA-5000 to see where ideas were 'borrowed' is noticeable. Interesting Crazy Amp. BUY-RAW RATING: Will need a recap to work now, in 2014 ours was borderline on seeing the caps cut open, now it'd be past it. REBUILD RATING: An early design with some tricky bits & difficulties in problem solving here. COOL RATING: 9 the fascia is one of the best looking ever, if the wood case isn't quite as good as some brands, but still a 9 overall. (2014-2019)

1967 Pioneer SX-700TF receiver↑AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Recommended-Very Good. UPGRADED: n/a. 25w. CC. Very early transistor amp but a sweet lively sound if only 25w see the SX-1500TF for the 45w version. This has to be the sweetest 25w amp you'll hear. We didn't upgrade too much at the time we had it & it could do as well as the 1500TF below if the power difference limits it. T= USA 110v version, TF = EU-World version. The only minus is the old preamp transistors can be a bit hissy & to put in better ones is worthwhile. Bachelor pad looks & the TF version has wood veneer on the fascia. The earliest 1966-67 Pioneer transistor receivers we've not seen in years, so clearly rare & now we've helped vintage along others will be trying them. The SX-700TF-SX1000 versions & SX-1500TF we do remember in 2017 as being interesting amps, never really did upgrade one as fully as we would now. What Is It? On the underneath a metal case covers two strange glass items, the circuit calls them "RW 1 & 2" if what they are isn't explained, but are on the Amplifier outputs after the coupling capacitor & before the Output Connectors. The symbol used is the same as the Thermistor so must be some sort of Safety feature, if not a mention of it as possibly it's only on some of the run. BUY-RAW RATING: Good. REBUILD RATING: Never rebuilt ours, if Pioneer from this era do show their age with hissy transistors & some quirky design. COOL RATING: 8 this with the wood veneer fascia & the side cheeks looks cool with it's Bachelor pad looks. (2011-2012)

1967 Pioneer SX-1500TF receiver↑AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Recommended-Very Good. UPGRADED: Very Good-Excellent. 45w.
CC. Not to be confused with the 1969 new styled 1500TD. Very clean & musical sounding amp we expected to be good as the SX-700TF, this even all-original is very sweet with such an open sound, but the balance is a little bright which we noticed on first getting it. Recapped & with new low noise transistors it scores very high in musicality. But it does have some issues & like with the 1500TD the power amp board is messy making it a little risky if it's had old repairs as we found out. There is some crude design here that ultimately limits how far the pre 1969 Pioneers can go, look at the heatsink for a start, a bent-shaped flat piece of aluminium. Same as 700TF above with the hissy transistors. A rare early amp together with the SX-700TF, they still aren't in the league of other 1967 receivers we've had since, we rated this very highly until getting the 1967 Sansui 3000A which outdid it. Two versions of the tone board exist, the early W15-031 one or the later one like the SX-1500TD uses. BUY-RAW RATING: Good. REBUILD RATING: One to be careful of if it has old repairs, the Power Amp board can be a pain. COOL RATING: 7 just a point less as no wood on the fascia, needs the wood side cheeks to rate. (2012-2013)

1967 Pioneer SX-1000TD-F receiver↑AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Very Good. UPGRADED: Excellent. 40w.
CC. We used to find the early Pioneer in 2011-12, the SX-700TF was our first, then the SX-1000TW, then the SX-1500TF if only seen the 1969 era SX-1500TD or SX-990 redesigned style ones since as the 1967 ones aren't around. The "F" means multivoltage. The SX-1000TD-F is an updated 1967 version, based on a "1267" code on the second of these we got. The SX-1000TA 40w, the first 1966 one with a valve & nuvistor Tuner front end noted by the lever switches not in one group, then this SX-1000TD 50w by 1967-68 noted by the tall MS Mincho style tuner print then the 1968 SX-1000TW will also be 40w with IC for Tuner as some are still labelled & smaller tuner glass print. Pioneer never put Mono for Phono or Aux which is a bit of a limit & again those plug-in blocks for thin & light speaker cable do put buyers off these as they were even on the 1972 SX-828 if finally updated to spring connectors on the 1974 x3x series. It should be possible to fit the small 4mm sockets as on the Sales page if one to try or not hasn't been decided. The inside is like the SX-1000TW with the pleasing matter-of-fact build with the bizarre crinkly thin metal heatsink & still with hard wiring & some unusual design. A small rear corner back board appears to be a Bass filter if it's not on the circuit diagram we have seen one in Pioneer before. It's the W15-010 board as on the earlier SX-1000TA & it is a steep "T" bass filter, "PTF" they call it, between Volume & Power Amp, which is going to ruin the bass & sound poor on speakers like the Sansui AU-666 did, see that review below for more & below as we tried the second one on speakers to hear. The SX-1000TW on our 'Solds Gallery' had a big wood case, we got that one from USA, if the wood case seems too big if SX-1000TW pics in adverts show it. The SX-1000TD-F has a black metal lid. Bulbs are various types including the old bayonet type, there are LED variants around if AC on LEDs flickers wildly. The SX-700TF & SX-1000TW we sold early on as original & serviced, if the SX-1500TF was unreliable with old repairs. This still has the FET IC 130w shop sticker on it, FET & IC tuner & 130w Music Power as in 65w x2. 1970 Pioneer catalog shows these were long gone so the early three models of SX-1000 may be limited sales as the 1969 SX-1500TD with the new design replaced these. 2SC793 original outputs are only 60w rated explaining the rather low "Music Power" of 65w/channel as in the "130w" front label. In the interests of keeping amps like this alive, changing the TO3 outputs is very tricky & beware the plastic isolators which fall out easily. The output stage has some odd design as we wondered about before. The circuit shows it's the first ones that Pioneer did, the Power amp is unusual with alterations added on the track side & the pre-tone board on ours is a W15-031D which isn't the later W15-047 one with NFB the manual shows. Pioneer early amps we've found boards with quite different designs in the same amp, the SX-1500TF above had the same W15-031 board if it's manual shows a W15-090. So we worked out before that the W15-031 is just about the same as the W15-006. A search found a W15-031 board schematic so to not have to stare at the track to work out the differences helps, in fact it's just one resistor value altered. W15-031 is the early 'no NFB' design as in the 1967 SX-1500TF, the later W15-047 is like the 1969 SX-1500TD so why the SX-1000TD & SX-1500TF so similar? Bulbs are 6.3v 0.15A Bayonet type as found on ebay, replace with the fascia off. Biasing is on the 0.7ohm resistor on the + of the output capacitor (L is the outer edge one) & adjust on the pots near the main caps (R is the outer edge one). The 2 Board pots leave fully clockwise, at highest resistance, as the paint marks show. Added Bit? This is on the power amp, it's not on the circuit so to find it's B-C of Q809/810 with 0.47µf connected to 2.2k, R to C & - to B. Told in interests of keeping these amps alive, no info found. Power Rating 50w RMS per Channel? 1000 rated "50w RMS per channel" 1500 rated "55w RMS per channel" which usually meant one channel playing, not both. The 1969 SX-1500TD confirms this as it's rated "58w each channel driven", which means you buy a Stereo amp & only play one channel? Trio KA-6000 rated "58w each channel" if "45w both channels". so the 1000 is a 40w amp into 8 ohms by the 45/58w difference. Confusing board numbers & misleading power ratings. The first one we've not got working yet so let it sit, but if it was a Customer's Amp we'd have put 20 hours plus many new parts & still end up like this which shows the difficulties in Hifi. But we have since REVISITED ANOTHER AMP NEARLY A YEAR LATER. Being 'unpleased' by the other one, to see another to try it again, the other one still here to compare to. This one in high grade, not much used, dusty, seized controls but cleary left in a person's house unused for decades until the place gets cleared. To find Seized controls, the Mode one especially needs care else you'll break it, which could be why the other one failed. Seller says it was abandoned in a place he got, the Mains plug as below tells why. This one direct from the sideboard, all the Speaker plugs including Fork Connectors a a bit of the 2 core mains that was used as Speaker Cable, rare to see that to see how it was used. 2 core mains cable if they wired the Phono Ground connector as Mains Ground using a 1960s mains plug without the finger guards on the pins & a typical 13A fuse, all undisturbed since new & a loose N wire meant it didn't work if no-one checked before us. Capacitor Coupled capacitors usually leave a tiny voltage so plugging in Headphones tells if it's been used recently, no typical small noise so never worked in decades. Headphones in, 'plunk' as it powers on. No smoke or bad noises, music on & it plays in Stereo, or at least both channels as the Mode switch is seized dry. As so unused the Retro limited thick bassy slow sound is what you get on amps this old if it's got no obvious problems. Mild background hiss as it typical of an early Transistor amp if not too far gone. FM Tuner works & stereo lights, if still Mode stuck on 'Left'. Pure Gambling here as with the other one & many other amps we get, seller being vague to not say it works or not if overall the amp would be useable once Serviced, it is still a 50 year old amp. TIred Amp Now Serviced. Not heard a 1967 Pioneer in a few years, so this all Serviced & Gleaming. Slow wallowy Original Slept for 40 Years sound now replaced with a more accurate sound, a lot crisper than before. A little thin sounding so a bit of Bass gain needed. Reveals it had replaced output transistors on one channel if the driver board untouched. Still a mild hiss but a 'friendly' one as we've not heard that 1967 Pioneer sound & the amp reveals why we liked these early on. As with the non-working one,. this has had little use, how it'd last on the 1967 capacitors is another thing, but we have found early Pioneer with Nippon Chemicon capacitors do last or age better than other 1960s brands. Very nice sound on this amp for all original & you can read what servicing brings. See a Sept 2018 blog about how good two 1967 amps sound as original. In use the Heatsinks are slightly warm as it wakes up, so to Bias once it's awoken more as it settles to be cooler after 30 mins use, because it's a good listen. This one has the early W15-031C Tone board & to be fair beyond Bass-light it's better than some amps we rate Excellent once upgraded, so 'better than Very Good' is fair at least for headphones, if a well used one won't sound like this. But as a Sept 2018 blog shows we tried it as All Original if Seviced on our 1967 Tannoy Golds so to keep it as 'Very Good'. The "T" Bass Filter is an awful idea, it blurs the lower Midrange & creates a One-Note Bass that sounds rather strange once you're used to more open amps. It'll get a Recap-Upgrade & lose the limiting Bass Circuit. Otherwise in 1967 to hear it on Tannoy Golds the sound will have 'amazed' the buyer if we can hear further to notice high Treble lacks the power. 1967 amp As Original on 1967 speakers. See the Oct 2018 blog for this, it sounded great beyond the Bass filter. Now Upgraded losing the harsh "T" bass filter, it sounds great & tried on speakers the same day as the Sansui 400 above. Another great early amp, one we'd keep if collecting. Sound is clean with Wide Stereo, Bass is now correct & goes Deep sounding great, why the heavy Bass filtering as designed? Fresh sound here isn't really heard in the later Pioneer as the brand got into the Discount stores to sell too cheap so got priced to the penny. On Rock Guitar it's full & more convincing than a lot of Amps & sounds fast. On Tannoy Gold Speakers this Amp sounds awesome, on trying a batch of amps this was tried after Marantz 2385 & Sony TA-1140 & the sound was rather different. A lot more upfront if not overloud with very wide Stereo & Tone gives a large amount of gain. Very lively sound that is rare to hear as most amps are made to sound softer for Domestic use, this has a more Pro sound. To look deeper to see how this amp sounds like this, it's really only the 1966-67 Pioneer that sound this good & why we liked these early on, if didn't try on speakers back then. BUY-RAW RATING: As with the Sansui 400 above, it still worked fine, if usually a 1967 amp is to aged. REBUILD RATING: Hissy transistors need redoing if otherwise nothing difficult. Fine board track needs careful soldering. COOL RATING: 7 smart looks on this, the big wood case as on others we've had is a bit chunky, by itself still looks nice. (2017-18)

1967 Sansui Model 400 receiver↑AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Very Good. UPGRADED: Excellent. 20w.
CC. An obscurely numbered Model 400 receiver from Feb 1967 is a smaller version of the Sansui 3000(A), the numbering part of the 1966 Valve Sansui 220 & 250 model series that were the midprice ones, 400 aka SAX 400 from Feb 1967. This one coming after their first Transistor receiver the 18w Sansui TR-707 from May 1965 that we've seen but not tried yet. £124 new in the 1968-79 HFYB, the 3000A was £186 in 1970. Replaced in 1969 with the 22w Sansui 800 with the Sansui 4000 styling. This one all transistors. Looks like the 3000(A) if smaller at 418mm wide x 143mm high x 363mm deep. 20w power if the transformer is more like a 50w amp. Build quality is similar if a narrower amp so the tuner mechanism is mounted vertically which is unusual. Actually comparing the Power Amp designs, the Sansui 400 & Pioneer SX-1000TD-F have the same Power Amp Circuit with only a few minor changes, Pioneer first did that design in 1966 so Sansui copied it if only for this amp & the 800. Power amp design is 2000µf Capacitor Coupled with no Transformers for the Push-Pull stage coupling as the TR-707 & 3000(A) do. This therefore is a more modern design & the next Sansui was the 1968 Sansui 5000 that had several later versions. Aux goes direct, not through the Phono stage as some do, Phono is x2 transistors, Tone comes after the Volume into a Transistor, a passive Tone stage & onto the Power Amp which shares the Tone stage. Power amp is a Gain Stage, Driver stage, Bias into Push-Pull Drivers & Output PP Drivers. Finding a better Circuit scan, the Circuit is quite like the 1969 Sansui 4000 if things got a bit more tamed down by then. 1967 Sansui 400 on the design is far from a Budget-Midprice amp, still having the pre 1969 qualities that make a great amp, if typically need a lot redone, the basics are good. Transistors in The Phono-Tone Power amp are Silicon for low level ones, if the PP drivers are 2SC281 (Silicon) & 2SB89 (Germanium) as early Trio-Kenwood used at the time. Outputs are 2SC244 75w 4A Silicons, again High spec for the 20w rating. HT is 50.8v which is similar to ±25.9v in later designs without the capacitor coupling. To compare to the 20w Fisher 440T from 1965 we got back recently that has 46v HT if the circuit still has limitations, the Sansui 400 has a very decent design & probably sounds fresher than the 3000(A). Unlike the 3000(A) this one didn't sell so a hard one to find so it's obscure. The 400 got redesigned by Oct 1968 as the Sansui 800 if by then the poor Aux into Phono via large resistor idea, if the amp stage is similar. 1967 ones have the Conical Phono sockets only suitable for earlier cables, by 1968 the standard type are used. Power Supply is a Half Wave rectifier, as you see on Valve Amps if not too often on Transistor amps, the DC is made of one AC half wave & then a blank section as the other half is unused so needs a bigger smoothing capacitor, the Full Wave is better as less work on the capacitor if then the Voltage is less, so it has to stay half wave. Here the amp has a 2000µf main cap with 51.1v DC with 41mV AC ripple which is quite low considering & no problem. After looking at the classy build quality of the 3000A we have here, the 400 is quite a lot less quality, if can be bettered, it looks like the Sansui TR-707A & the first Sansui 500 valve amp. Fascia has the 3000 look with a Gold & White lettered tuner glass, a 'Protector' & still in "MC" as Megacycles not Megahertz. Two speaker pairs, Headphones, a "Noise Filter" that simply grounds off high frequencies so is a sort of High Filter, Mono-Stereo Mode, Tape & Loudness. Plastic control knobs look like Fisher if ours lacks one metal cap & seems to be an issue with these looking online. Rear shows the original NEC 2SC244, Speaker Screws like the 3000A, antenna, DIN for Tape & the row of 10 input sockets if as it's a 1967 one are that conical type that need the older cables like we blogged about Sep 2018. Our serial number dates it to Oct 1967 so is just past the 100th one made. This one got used into 1978 by it's careful owner for the BBC updated station stickers who also left their name & address sticker on so we Google Street Viewed it, must have just been cleared out as the seller was unaware of it to sell it at that price. Underneath looks busy with green coloured PCB bases plus the Phono board. Axial caps x4 for the power supplies & another for bulbs. Power switch is that odd 3000(A) one that looks the same on or off. Quick hum on turn on & a gentle hiss. We tried it before just to see if it worked and now partly serviced. Rare to get an amp pre 1969 that's useable but this works fine & the design as expected does sound unusually dynamic. Seller clearly never tried it for the sticky power switch as sounding like this you'd not sell it so cheaply. Fresh dynamic sound reveals little of it's age as it's unusually crisp, not as rich & bassy as upgrading will bring. Wide stereo & a deep soundstage. We always listen to the amp as original to understand it & this Sansui 400 has to be the Best sounding as Original, by great design & lack of use. As for the Protection circuit, no issue after over an hour playing the day it arrived after servicing, the circuit samples the Power Amp Outputs not the strange 3000(A) design that cuts out after 20 mins. See The Oct 2018 Blog for more. Biasing isn't needed as the Amp is Autobias, if there are 2 adjust pots that aren't mentioned in the Service Manual, VR 709/710 are similar to the KA-6000 with UA1384 board which set Midpoint Voltage which was way off on ours. VR 711/712 is AC balance. FM Tuner sounds great in FM Stereo, meter light on means Stereo if one bulb needs replacing, all Transistors Tuner as is the 3000(A), some Germaniums in the tuner inc 2SA101 & 2SA102 very early ones if updated to the 3000(A) one. Now finished except for a few visuals, tried on our Tannoys. Clean sound with good volume, sounds as good as any 40w amp really & much the same sound as the 1967 Pioneer SX-100TD-F we tested the same day. Another great find. BUY-RAW RATING: Despite age ours was working fine, if 1967 amps can be far gone. REBUILD RATING: Needed some improvements to bring it to the quality of the bigger Sansui 3000(A). COOL RATING: 6 pleasing small version of the Sansui 3000(A), not sure if it had a wood case. (2018)

1967 Sony TA-1120A amplifier↑AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Very Good. UPGRADED: Excellent 50w.CC, PARA. 1965 TA-1120 has 2 lights on the front, 1967 TA-1120A has one light & a headphone socket Both have "1120" on the fascia if the rear label confirms "A" or not.See the 1965 TA-1120 above for a deeper look into these two amps. The 1120A is a totally different design inside to the 1120 if the outside just varies from a protection lamp to a headphone socket. Sony ads by their London W1 showroom in HFN only start to show the TA-1120 in May 1967, only showed tape recorders before, so chances are the original amp was only offered in the UK very briefly if the 1120A arrived a month after & would have been the one supplied. The ads only show Amps & Turntables for a few months, no sales meant back to tape again. The 1120 has some very good circuitry that the 1120A more or less omits. Be aware the headphone socket needs doing properly as it's not a standard design, it's not suitable for any headphone as it runs unamplified from the preamp. But once recapped & much subtly improved it elevates into a very different amp. Therefore Very Good for upgraders & one of the best Sony amps but only if you work it. Capable of a fine rich sound when done right if not the most focussed on the treble keeps it down on score. The sound is rich & bassy if losing the circuitry of the 1120 original loses the treble sharpness to make it not as modern sounding as you may like, very strange why they took all the good ideas out. The odd red capacitors are of high quality, no need to alter them, if they limit deep bass. Overall it has a very pleasing sound but is just very soft on detail, if the one noted in the Update was very different. Classy looking amp with the very 1965 looking brown levers still here though it was updated for some markets to a later design TA-1120F which we've never seen. In terms of finding one, the Apr 1967 TA-1120A is at least scarce, the Nov 1965 TA-1120 is very rare. UPDATE: Got another of these, this one only ever used on 117v if these are always multivoltage & on first try with 240v it sounds much cleaner than the previous 1120A. Still unserviced & just testing what it's like. The Headphone socket is still hopeless but to use our Headphone box on the speaker connectors shows a sound much closer to the 1965 TA-1120 with a crisper sound than the blurry one before. This has the earlier 2SD45 outputs, not the later 2SD88s & the screws on the back input plates, not rivets, an early 52000 serial number one here, when numbering only started at 51000. Unusually untouched amp, a survivor amp & so clean it could be left all original, grey capacitor caps still on & the transformer top is perfect even. But the capacitors inside, on deciding to recap as the buyer wanted to use it, were surprisingly very aged, but it gets the 1120A a much better rating for an early little-used one. Now issues sorted & run in, this sounds unlike the last one which was soft & blurry, this is nearly as good as the 1965 TA-1120. Either very low use or minor changes on later ones is the reason why, this is very crisp & focussed. The only real difference are the red coupling capacitors limiting the deepest bass, else it's a joy. Playing it on Tannoy Golds, it's the same volume as the earlier TA-1120 & not far off the sound of that either. The TA-1120A is a great amp, but for the age these could need a lot recapping as the early blue-white capacitors used in the 1967 ones don't age well like the grey Elnas in later ones. THE WOOD CASES are now rare on these, Sizes are 432 W x 155 H x 303 D. front sides 14mm, rear sides 19mm adding spacers, the case is 12mm ply with a walnut veneer. The grille space is 369 x 121mm. BUY-RAW RATING: Good but low volume is how it's made. REBUILD RATING: A much easier rebuild than the early TA-1120, but the headphone socket is not a standard design. The main caps at the back can be expensive to do to look right. COOL RATING: 9 looks as good as the TA-1120 if being more findable, best looks in the wood case. (2014)

1967 Trio Kenwood TK-140E or U receiver↑AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Recommended. UPGRADED: Very Good-Excellent. 50w. SC. White lever buttons, no IC wording on the tuner glass & a silver metal back panel. The "E" version is EU 220-240v only, the "U" one is multivoltage. 140E first advertised Apr 1967 rated at "130w" with 50w per channel, if possible this is 50w one channel playing meaning more like 42-45w if that's still high for 1967. The highest powered domestic amp in 1967. Appears there were a few versions of this model. See below for the 1969 later 'X' version As original it hides it's potential with a soft blurry sound keeping the as-is rating lower. Another Very Good early amp with more than a few oddities along the way as you'd expect this early which makes it a bit less accessible than the KA-6000. Perhaps the E & X version are the best of the Trio-Kenwood receivers for it's sweet sound quality & strong sound, the buyer of ours was surprised how loud it played on speakers as do other early Trio-Kenwood. One for the experienced tech really as some of it is a bit quirky to upgrade, as in asbestos fire screen boards by the power amps & tone board oddities. The metal case with no wood outer made leaves it a little plain if the fascia is nice. Early Semi-Complimentary design like other 1967 receivers had, if quickly abandoned until 1971. This was a difficult amp, some redesign was needed & we never felt we got the best out of it as it was a bit quirky. Germaniums we've found since 2013 are fine if they are Japanese or USA ones, but the UK-EU ones are the poor ones. 2017 memory was it was a bit crude in design, the Tone stage as with the TK-66 was not very good. Odd lack of a centre ground reference to the ± HT could give very odd results as imbalanced. But as it's 2017 writing, one we could certainly do more with, but it's always the Dead Tuners on these 1967-69 Trio receivers that spoils it a bit. BUY-RAW RATING: Will need recapping as early & not an easy one. Tuners on these early ones often not working right, the Trio-Kenwood tuners are not so good despite the amp stages being quality. This amplifier needs a proper 3 core mains + earth cable, see above. REBUILD RATING: Some odd design in this & odd transistors, probably a bit too quirky to get the best out of, try the later TK-140X instead. COOL RATING: 7 but there are 2 versions, the black lid looks less appealing so a 6, but the brown wood effect lid looks better, a little lacking in style if still Bachelor Pad looks with the wood veneer front & nice lever switches. (2013)

1967 Trio-Kenwood TK-66(U) receiver↑AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Very Good. UPGRADED: Excellent. 20w.CC. Early receiver with that sweet airy open sound if power limited, nice sounding like the early Trio range & if we had one again it could rank higher than this ranking. Had this very early in our amp exploits. October 1968 ad shows this as 20w for £115, the receiver version of the TK-250T amplifier & TK-350T tuner which are £49 & £56 each. This brand pre 1973 are always good value & offer a fine sound. We had this very early on in our amp testing & it did stand out from other amps around then so deserves the rating, if revised with the revisit below. Again, the quality of these early Trio can't be hidden, even with a 2011 review. REVISITED 2016: This was one we got very early on in writing this site, a lower power version of the TK140X, so to find one again well worth seeing what upgrades will do as it certainly is worth upgrading a 25w amp having had success with ones of lower power, if only on 1960s amps does it appear worthwhile as the overall quality is still high. We gamble on a rough working one if the risks of bad Tuners are sadly what early Trio amps have, if the separate tuner that matches the KA-6000 we've had twice it worked fine. On looking at our old pages, it appears we only sold the KR-33 below, the first TK-66 was a wreck & didn't seem safe to sell & too tatty. But the 2016 one looks untouched & has the original box, nice to see one again. Has the paperwork too, never seen this with a Trio & online data is usually very basic. This is "20w Continuous", Damping Factor of 23 & Tone is ±10dB & the manual is dated 1969, probably a US import as a Kenwood dealers sheet too. Works after a quick service if bulbs in need. An amp like this is a good gamble as found, but as 47-48 years old it'll need a full Service to be useable & well worth recapping & upgrading. The big worry with the pre 1970 Trio-Kenwoods is the tuner, we've had problems with these & this one works on AM, FM shows meter movement but very low volume, if at least this is a start. It's sat on a table to be looked at before we start on it, the kooky Bachelor Pad looks with the wood front section are rather pleasing, the wood effect painted metal lid much nicer than the black rough paint lid. Dating these Trio is a little tricky, this has 2SB89A Germaniums in the Power Amp, the rest are silicon & early 2SD180 silicon outputs when new Germanium TO3s were still being made, so this is really more a 1967 amp & it's more like the TK-140E inside, same heatsink & tuner meter, if no Asbestos like the TK-140E has. The TK-66U is a multivoltage version, on our one a switch on the back for 240v or 110v with a tab screwed on to avoid switching, later amps put this sort of voltage changing inside. The fascia is gold anodised in colour, subtle if you'd not notice away from other metals. The power amp board has lots of changes & without the schematic, you're stuffed really. The Power Amp board is far too small, one to avoid if it's been 'repaired' as our first was. It has a regulated power supply for the first stages all cramped onto a 13cm x 6cm board & 6 adjust pots if the manual doesn't say what they are for. Power amp recapped interesting to hear the amp sound thin but then fill out as the new caps awake. Revived the TK-140X below the day before & the sound here is basically similar if 20w, a pleasing sound with wide stereo, not unlike the JVC Nivico 5010U with similar power. Not recapped anything else yet, but to see what it needs, Rock needs some Tone adjust to fill it out but it's delivered cleanly if not much weight to it at 20w. Despite the main caps being low spec it doesn't fail on bassy music, if limits it. The TK-140X similarly only recapped on power amp (& preamp) has a much huger dynamic sound. The Tuner here works, AM is good, FM is half the volume & it uses Germanium transistors of very low spec which are probably why the 1967 Trio tuners fail. Now main caps all done it's properly upgraded as some spec & design is very aged & the Fisher 440-T was another 20w early amp, if this is the fresher sounding with crisper focus & now it's had some play Bass is full & extended. 49 years until it Came Of Age & sounding a lot better than the feeble thing it was before. A classic case of OK but small sounding as all original but upgrade it & reveal a lot of weaknesses to further upgrade. We have the 53w TK140X here at the same time & it'll be compared once ready & also the 25w Goodmans Module 80. This TK-66 we got the service manual to try fix the previous rough one & the newer one has the full user info too, not quite the same as the TK-88 as it's higher power & differences are noticeable. The 6 adjust pots aren't explained, but once the amp is running cool, just have them set L/R the same, the 4 row outer two VR 1/2 are bias, to be balanced L/R together with the ones nearer the heatsink VR 5/6, the mid 2 are more to do with AC bias or uneven gain early transistors. Sound is lively if not designed to be too 'powerful' sounding, midrange a little softer than the 53w TK-140X but for our upgrades the basic pleasing sound is here. UPDATE 2017 on the same amp with ideas that improved the TK-140X bring this amp to life even further. Odd Tone stage is passive like the WX-400U one & once upgraded more the Low Damping Factor sound shows a pleasing rich sound if with crisp detail & turned up louder the kick for a 20w amp is unexpected. The Tone stage isn't as good as later ones if does give a bit of a Retro sound that's a change to hear. BUY-RAW RATING: Good. This amplifier needs a proper 3 core mains + earth cable, see above. Tuners on these early ones often not working right, the Trio-Kenwood tuners are not so good despite the amp stages being quality. REBUILD RATING: Small boards are fiddly to work on if the rest is easier. Does upgrade well. COOL RATING: 7 Trio receivers were never as pretty after the 1963 valve one, Industrial functional mixed with Bachelor Pad looks. (2011-16)

1968 Armstrong 521 amplifier↑AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Hopeless. UPGRADED: n/a. 20w.CC. Yes, it's true, we dare to try this brand again because even the worst deserve a second try. Not dared try Armstong since 2012 & three others on this page showed they are just not anywhere as good as other UK brands like Leak, Rogers & Sugden who we do like, if not as much as the Japan-USA brands. so here is our opinion based on trying some real gems in the last years since. The amp itself is the 526 receiver less the tuner half so it's 292mm wide and 274mm deep. The teak case is better than the Leak ones, more like the Rogers transistor ones. Four rotary controls & a line of ten push buttons on a silver & black fascia. Plain looking but functional. The back shows it's age after the front & case being decent, the Phono sockets are the very tightly spaced ones & you need slim cables not the commonly found ebay ones which are too bulky. the Speaker outs are utterly useless with that old UK 2 pin plug that requires wires soldering. When we sell it, we'll fit something a buyer can use, these are hopeless. Inside the left has a row of plug in vertical boards similar to Leak, with two pairs for Phono-Tone-Preamp plus one at the back with Fuses on that is a Power Supply board. A very small transformer for 40w & six blue capacitors of which one is bigger. There are 5 transistors on the sifde, 4 for output & one as a regulator. The plug in boards have a top securing rod velse they wobble about as the fitting isn't so solid. The first two boards are C16 'control unit' boards, the two Phono inputs are for MM or Ceramic probably, a Tuner input goes through a resistor & the Tape input goes direct so will be the best choice. Parts used are typical UK style if two of the dodgy EU Germaniums here which is poor, these are AC191 plus a silicon one ME4102 possibly. The capacitors are axial ones used like radials, we sigh & wonder why we bothered, but to do it properly is why. The A15 driver board has all silicon TO5 size BSV44A if the A14 earlier one has Germaniums with the winged heatsinks. The Z17 power supply board has Germaniums AC138 with the winged heatsinks coming very near resistor bare ends. the 5x side TO3 transistors are AL102 which are Germaniums of 30w & 6A, so the 40w rating & the tiny transformer suggests this is more likely 20w. Overall the case looks nice but the insides are pretty lousy with ancient looking UK parts thast are more like valve era ones. To use Germaniums in 1968 is an insult when the other brands used Silicon & the EU Silicons suffer from "tin whiskers" so often sound blurry & weak. Henry's Radio catalog shows the EU Germaniums were unwanted & going cheap so be sure Armstrong bought a huge batch & conned the buyer with this junk. On trying it, thankfully it only worked on one channel whatever we tried so the nasty thing went back. Utter rubbish is our opinion & we are glad it wasn't working so could get rid of it. Do NOT buy this rubbish! BUY-RAW RATING: Poor. Aged UK inferior Germaniums & other issues, lousy quality inside is a big issue, don't bother. REBUILD RATING: Not worth bothering with. COOL RATING: 5 the amp is less tacky looking than the receiver but nothing special. (2015)

1968 Armstrong 526 receiver↑AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Hopeless. UPGRADED: n/a. 20w.CC. The deserved Armstrong backlash Part 2: Nasty UK made crappy aged UK-EU Germaniums thing means the sound was ailing with bad harmonics on the treble but perhaps not awful if you spend forever changing it to Silicon with the voltage changes needed, recap it fully, but who could be bothered? Cheaply made with ancient parts that looked 10 years earlier as UK parts, shameful. Will relate to Armstrong 521 amplifier & Armstrong 525 receiver. To be avoided at any price says we, yet they still sell for small money to those unaware just for being old amps. We had one, it had plug in boards like Leak but constructuion was messy & a mix of mostly Germaniums bought wholesale & very cheap as Henry's 1970 Radio catalog shows they were unwanted by anyone else. Germaniums age badly & were unreliable when new, the Mullard AD140 TO3 output transistors are notoriously bad. These were sold cheap in the Comet Cut Price type retailers in the early 1970s so they are plentiful, unless it's the same one being resold over & over as buyers realise their mistake in buying it. Please don't buy one, there is so much better. The lousy build quality in many places & many Germanium transistors means this will always be a duff amp. BUY-RAW RATING: Poor. Aged UK inferior Germaniums & other issues, don't bother. REBUILD RATING: Don't bother, made of TV grade junk. COOL RATING: 3 sadly it just looks cheap and nasty with no design appeal at all, 3 is being generous as it has a veneer lid. (2012)

1968 Dokorder 8060 amplifier↑AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Great. UPGRADED: Excellent. 40w.CC. An obscure Japanese amplifier with matching 8070 AM/FM tuner. The back gives the brand as "Denki Onkyo" but it's not the Onkyo brand if predates it by later association. Some web presence on this & the later black fascia 8060A. The 8060 is a grey fascia amp with sliders for the L+R volume, 4 lever switches & Tone is on rotaries plus Filters if you pull the controls out. Nothing familiar in construction here at all & it's quite small if heavy at 7kg, 366m wide, 130mm tall & 215mm deep inc fittings. Open grille on top means 48 years of dirt inside. Some poor old TV-repair-guy type repairs as typical with high power amps, it's like they just use any old part regardless, it'll work-it'll do lazy thinking. Didn't expect it to work, but it does & works fine. No Aux input which is unusual if Tape is Phono sockets & Tape is a DIN plug. The back panel has an "Ext" socket, the manual reveas this is for a box to screw onto the right side, 4 unused holes on ours shows it was optional, and you could add 3 more Tape Recorders by DIN sockets. But it has no Mono switch for vinyl. Didn't expect it to sound too good as 1968, but even raw & dirty it sounds great wide stereo, decent bass, clean mid & crisp treble with a precise balance giving a pleasing sound. As with Akai when they made the wonderful AA7000, the Dokorder is by a maker better known for high end tape machines, much like how Sony started out too. The original specs state 15Hz to 50kHz bandwidth & 0.5% harmonic distortion at full power. For the clean sound here, harmonics are not an issue even on 48 year old spec. It has 2 very early ICs like the JVC 5040 does 'IC A-1' & '2SD189' silicon TO3 outputs at a time when Germaniums were still produced so could be 1967-68 in date. Online finds their quality tape machines & a 60w Dokorder 800x 60w receiver from 1971. No UK sales of this as not in HFYB but Germany got these if the 8060A seems more common. Compact design to match the tape players series if well designed & built. The IC is on the Preamp-Tone & is 2 transistors plus 7 resistors as the circuit is shown, much like the JVC 5040 one, more a selling gimmick as enough space surely to do similar in transistors. The main cap is only 1000µf 80v but nothing else at the time would fit, unusually low value. Now serviced with tidying of old repairs if all original otherwise, the sound is exceptionally good for original spec, precise clean sound & the circuit is a bit different to others this early. AC ripple on the 1000µf cap is high at 96mV so a slight hum here, but it shows spec isn't so important if the design is good, and it has ICs in the preamp. Sort of makes a mockery of things, for densely recorded Ska from the original 45s sounding so focussed & clean, the midrange here is very precise without being dry. Not bad for an amp that must have been called "Dork Order" at some time. So we buy an unknown amp that 'doesn't work' and yet find a gem yet again, it doesn't always work out well either. It'll be upgraded as always though what else it can bring will be interesting. We upgraded & rebuilt this fully down to the resistors to see how good it can be, the result was an very capable amp that we used on the Tannoys for a few weeks. The L+R volume slider is easy enough to use & the sound was rich & detailed with a very decent bass for the clean design. Far better than we expected it to be & stood together with the Tuner it has an interesting semi-Industrial look as the early Japanese amps do often have. A rare pair tuner & amp. For the sound this should be selling for more than we sold ours, but the Hifi market is still quite young, but the buyer gets one of our experimental amps at a great price. Amps like this keep Hifi interesting. BUY-RAW RATING: Good if the age & power could mean recapping needed. REBUILD RATING: We rebuilt this fully unsoldering all the main board wires as too hard to work on in the case. Access is difficult. COOL RATING: 7 Tuner & amp together have a nice industrial look, if maybe a little stark for woman appeal, until she hears how great it sounds. (2016)

1968-72-74 Ferrograph F307/20+20 amplifier↑AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Recommended. UPGRADED: n/a. 20w. CC. Same amp repackaged into 3 amp models, 1968 most common one, the silver 20+20 first appears March 1974 in an ad, then a November 1976 HFN/RR ad shows the grey fascia one with orangey vinyl wrap that seemed more a c.1973 design but the ads prove otherwise, but it appears the silver one returned & was available until about 1980 as the HFYB pics show. We've had the second & third ones, but both were 99% the 1968 amp inside. Good volume for 20w, but it sounds rough & blurry, any £50 late 70s amp would better this. Open rich but certainly fuzzy sound if a little too raw as British Hifi usually is. A bit of a fuss-hype about Ferrograph but they are nothing special really, certainly only budget price amps. Aka the Ferrograph F307 Mk 2. They are Average rough sounding things, there is much better out there, UK Sugden are better quality. Even the build of the 60+60 we thought was lousy & because of the hype prices are high but no takers. Don't believe the hype or high prices, a while back an ex-employee with money to burn was bidding high with no real interest since, ahem. The 20+20 has a huge +17db bass gain which is insane, vinyl wrap not veneer, obsolete transistors used. No ceramics but still did sound rough, but just musical enough. It has awkward UK style axial caps so not worth recapping for us. Awful basic power supply with very high 350mV ripple. Made of low grade steel that goes powdery not rusty. We'd not recommend any Ferrograph as being much above average. They seem to be commonly found or perhaps the same ones being forever resold as the buyers agree. As it's a 2012 review, the amp might do better if we got another. There is a certain quality here, but the low spec of the insides would still be obvious, it might scrape a 'Recommended' but we are only saying what we saw, not estimating. REVISITED 2015 Silver front 1974 20+20 version. This is still the 1968 amp 99% as is the c.1972 brown fascia orangey vinyl wrap brown fascia one. This still looks very old fashioned for 1974 but it was a Budget 20w amp. Still capacitor coupled which ended in 1974 for UK brands, but not lazy Ferrograph, it was still sold into 1980. The aluminium control knobs still have an unknown size tiny hex nut that no hex set will fit & the raw aluminium greys badly. The 'wood veneer' case is actually a vinyl and the most convincing one we've seen. The silver 20+20 is actually pretty rare, the 60+60 did make silly money as our "Other amps" page shows, but not so rare. These were designed to match Ferrograph tape recorders & the 1968 version is commonly found on ebay. This 1974 version at least has teak veneer. But it's still all 1968, ceramic phono inputs & DIN speaker outputs. It has those "tropical fish" stripey Mullard caps, blue small axials which are usually still good if low spec & be sure the power supply is still the same spec. To stop the messy out-of-line buttons on the previous version, they glued in 4 bits of paxolin to hold them in line, that's what the 4 loose rectangle bits are as glue fails. After the quality of USA & Japanese amps this still sold in 1980 is unusual, but worth finding out. HT is 65.8v with a terrible 154mV of ripple. First try of it now at least working if unserviced, the volume is too coarse so very low it's on one channel only before the other arrives a tiny turn later. The sound on this silver fascia one isn't as rough as the 1972 era one & doesn't sound bad, if that low spec sound most amps have. But finesse it ain't, if playing as unserviced, it's too loud & reveals the problems noted before, to turn it down as it's harsh isn't a good thing & the expression on our face is a grimace as we don't like it. Stereo isn't that wide but we really don't want to play it more after knowing better gear. For most users on speakers it's probably not a bad amp, it's not grainy or rough, it's just average audio gear with a decent sound balance just lacking any hifi quality. To upgrade it probably won't happen as it's all axials which are only general quality so not really worth recapping. But to be fair, the sound does offer scope to upgrade, if at 20w we'll just service it & make it smart looking. Now serviced & run in, the volume is too loud by 1 on headphones & catches the volume imbalance low down. The sound is generally decent but again the lack of finesse is obvious for the valve & early transistor amps. British Hifi was never our favourite, the dismal build quality & spec is way behind the USA & Japan amps, but in fairness for a budget-midprice amp this is good value for money, certainly bette than any 1980s cheap amp as it does have the 'vintage' sound & as such is a good starter amp so we've revised it to 'Recommended'. Based on this, if a 60+60 was found at a reasonable prive, we'd probably try it. BUY-RAW RATING: Good, but don't overpay based on old hype. REBUILD RATING: Not one we'd bother with, too much to do on a 20w amp, the power amp boards are tough to work on. COOL RATING: 6-7 the 1968 original has a purposeful look if a bit industrial, the 1972 revival in orangey teak plastic wrap looks cheesy but in a good way, especially with the tuner with it as we had. The 1974 silver version is better but still the 1968 amp so looks very old styled. (2012-15)

1968 JVC Nivico MCA 104Z amplifier↑AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): --. UPGRADED: --. 16w.CC. This is the 1968 updated "32w" (16w + 16w) version of the 1966 JVC Nivico MCA 104E as we review above. It has Tape Head which was abandoned by 1969 so is earlier. Double the power as some state is inaccurate if it claims to be all silicon transistors. Says "100w SEA" on the front, Music Power rating added as one figure. Not too different inside compared to the 104E if the power amp board is much bigger. No circuits findable as always if we have the 104E one & the 105Z one is findable, the 105Z adds 2 more SEA sliders & puts the volume as a rotary, plus adding extra features & it's a total redesign to the 104Z if still 32w. Spec in the 104Z is still low, 2200µf 63v main cap & just 1000µf output caps. One on ebay 2018 shows "80w" on the back as the VA (max power draw from mains) which suggests it's 16w not 32w. The later 105 is 32w though as a manual is findable & it draws 145w. Power amp is 6 transistors per channel & the two round transistor-looking black ones are diodes. We can hear the quality in here, but the spec is low so doesn't reveal how good it can be, if the quality is noticeable. The 6 transistors on the board have panel mount heatsinks on which is strange if they do get slightly warm. But after seeing how rough it is we decided to send it back, we'd not be happy selling such a beat up amp under our name at any price. Pity as it is could have been another winner, but we'll look for a better one. To not be able to rate it properly for fear of failure & safety we decided. BUY-RAW RATING: Open grille lets in decades of dirt. REBUILD RATING: Worthwhile doing, access a bit limited, but it'll be filthy inside. COOL RATING: --. (2015)

1968 Leak Stereo 70 amplifier↑
AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Recommended. UPGRADED: n/a. 30w.CC. Always popular as easy to find these Leak amps, sounds are a Very Good intro to vintage hifi, like the Trios in this section. Sound is clean & very rich, but ultimately limited by basic designs & power. The Stereo 30 *Plus* & Stereo 70 are basically the same amp as the Delta 30 and 70 in an earlier design case, the early Stereo 30 (no Plus) from 1963 is different & not recommended as it has poor UK Germaniums, it is a one board amp, not the plug in boards. The Stereo 30 plus and Stereo 70 versions, both with the 4 plug-in boards can sound rough for the BC147/8/9 transistors used which age badly, rating based on one with little use after much running in. Not one we've ever upgraded due to the board sizes & axial caps limiting things. Any Leak except the Delta 75 is a Very Good starter amp. The Delta 70 is the same amp in a nicer case. Has that nice Leak amp smell with the plug in boards & thick card-foil lined top and bases. The matching Stereofetic tuner we found a bit crappy in sound & construction, but the amps are nice if they look better as the Delta rebranded ones. See the 1971 Leak Delta 70 as we ponder upgrading one. BUY-RAW RATING: Good if risk of rough sounding transistors. REBUILD RATING: Never redone one, to fully recap would need much changing & involved for what it is, probably not worth rebuilding & we've has a few of the Leak 30-70s. COOL RATING: 5 these are pretty ugly looking with average quality wood veneer cases, just functional. (2013)

1968 McIntosh C26 preamp + 1967 MC2505 power amp↑
AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Very Good. UPGRADED: n/a. 50w.SC, DIFF. This we last had in 2003 but it certainly impressed us on the Tannoy Golds. Transistor preamp & power amp. We got the C22 valve preamp & found the C26 more pleasing. These need the big Panloc wood cases to look their best & do they look pretty. The repro cabinets lack the class though. We got the amp from a UK seller & imported the pre. At the time we were impressed at how good the midrange was, very smooth & accurate, but the bass was a little limited & the treble a little soft, but oh... The midrange. Since then, one murky track that was deeply impressive has been tried on nearly every amp in search of that sound & it took quite a few amps to hit the quality. We had a good look inside & saw quite a bit would need upgrading, even with our 2003 ideas, ceramic blocks for the Tone stages & altering the NFB to try to get a little more gain brought up a high hiss background. Also the preamps when used on the TT valve amps had quite a loud hiss from the level mismatching, but C26+MC2505 matched perfectly. So there are upgrades needed to be done here & the price these were even in 2003 made us sell them on rather than be tempted to alter anything. The brand is the 'USA favorite' by the love owners have for Mac gear valve & solid state. We've not tried any other Macs since but they are up there on the 'to try' list with other big USA amps together with Fisher valve gear. The C22 preamp was a little bit on the early side with both C22 & C26 having an excess of controls & level presets & also the Bass Boost like the STR-6120 has too. BUY-RAW RATING: Good when we had in 2003, but hard to find with nice glass & paint fascias. REBUILD RATING: Never done these, probably much like the Fisher. COOL RATING: 9 in the panloc wood cases these look wonderful with much care to style that is still on their hifi 40 years later, without the cases dips the looks as they look incomplete. (2003)

1968 Pioneer SX-1000TW receiver↑
AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Recommended-Very Good. UPGRADED: n/a. 50w.CC. Just slightly less musical than the SX-1500TD but still the first generation Pioneer styling. Seems to have sold well in USA & still has the qualities to call it a Very Good one. We didn't do much with ours as this was early on in our hifi page exploits as we had other Pioneers above, treble a bit soft but well made enough to be worth improving. Last of the early styled fascia amps. Confusingly there are actually 3 of the SX-1000 models: SX-1000TA (40w) is the first 1966 one with a valve & nuvistor Tuner front end noted by the lever switches not in one group, then the SX-1000 TD(F) (40w) by 1967 noted by the tall MS Mincho style tuner print then the 1968 SX-1000TW (50w) with IC for Tuner as some are still labelled & smaller tuner glass print. All pre 1969 Pioneer of the earlier styling strangely lack a proper Mono switch which is needed for Phono especially, offering only Mono of L or R but not together. As a 2012 review this still shows the early Pioneers are good & having the SX-990 in 2015 to hear again shows the early Pioneer sound fresher than the 1972-75 ones. COOL RATING: 8 in the wood case a smart looking amp as the SX-1500TF is. REBUILD RATING: Never done of of these if Pioneer often are hissy & quirky to work on. BUY-RAW RATING: Good. (2012)

1968 Sansui Model 3000A receiver↑AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Very Good. UPGRADED: Excellent. 45w.SC, Transformer coupled. This is the revised 1968 version, for the 1966 Sansui 3000 see above. A forgotten gem we've discovered, this tricksy but endearingly wonderful Semi Complimentary amp can be upgraded into a really wonderful sound and with a effortless smooth bassy but detailed fresh open sound. Others are buying this amp now based on reading of it here & are pleased with how Very Good it sounds even all-original. First seen advertised as 'New' in Dec 1966 HFN with Sansui adverts & by Jan 1967 'Lasky's Radio' ads show they bacame the first UK distributors. Dec 1967 Sansui ad shows the 3000 if by Jan 1968 the 3000A is mentioned.Damping factor of 15 gives it a valve amp styled bass. Looks Very Good in the wood case too. Of all our amps when we had more here, it was played the most, though others come along & can confuse, it is consistently a winner & with fine clean honest open effortless detail. Even for it's age the Elna caps should still be good. One of our favourite amps & our 3000A we've done much to in search of bettering it. Minuses are it can be a tricky amp, the DC offset can go high if it's not had the 1971 mods or if accurately adjusted. The 1971 Bulletin Alterations Aren't All Necessary. These are a bit 'scare tactic' but as with other things similarly, it's to cover them from complaints as few bother to service or check their amps. The idea here is if DC offset voltage is not adjusted right you can get about 6v DC on the speaker Outputs. This is an early Direct Coupled Design that wasn't used again until 1971 when an "easier" design not with Coupling Transformers for the Push-Pull & Biasing. the adjust pot only alters DC offset, there is no Bias as the transformer does that & rather well too. Hot 800 ohm resistors on the upper power amp is as designed & a tiny few amps use this design such as Nat-Pan SA-65, Nikko TRM 120/1200 & Akai AA7000. It's no different to having a post 1971 direct coupled amp, set the DC offset right with a Speaker Load attached & it's reliable There really isn't any need to add the 10 ohm resistor if it does make adjusting DC offset slightly easier. The Diodes of 0.5A in the 3000 & 1.5A in the 3000A they say to change to newer 1.5A ones which is worth doing. Why Were The 1971 Changes Made? A Forum from 2009-2010 tells that once damaged the full DC voltage of about 40v would appear on the speakers to ruin them & many were brought back from the Vietnam war so these were popular for the great sound. But this is only half the story, if often you find these with repaired Drivers & Outputs, the amp will need User Misuse to damage it in the first place. The diodes on the Power Amp board need upgrading to 1.5A ones says the Bulletin & this appears the main problem, the SM150 are 1A. The same forum has a repair guy since 1972 who says the Diodes spec was fine but the Production quality was the problem, similar to Transistors going hissy. Hearing talk from techs around when these amps were new is helpful, else we have to work it out ourselves or just upgrade parts which gets rid of issues before they happen. The early 1966 Sansui 3000 uses SW0.5 likely meaning 0.5A & some early ones only have 4 diodes not 8 as not the ones across the Bias Pot. The Fuses were reduced in value to try to help. The "Protector" stage is far from the sophisticated 1965 Sony TA-1120 one. But the reality is nearly all amps after 1971 are Direct coupled & Damage or Failure by User Misuse has better Protection as a look at the 1970 Sony TA-3200F power amp shows it has more than one Protection circuit to cut the voltages if required. A Sansui 3000(A), like any direct-coupled amp, if misused can still trash your speakers, but we trusted our 2014 one on our Speakers for months as ours was all recapped & adjusted right. The 3000 is mostly the same amp if only one speaker pair & minor switch position changes. For the 1969 Tannoy Golds, this amp is a Perfect Match, it sounds awesome. Input Phono Connectors. On the 1966 Sansui 3000 & some of the 3000A there are oversized conical phono sockets fitted. These are too big for Modern Cables as they will bend them wider risking breaking the cast ones. To use Vintage Cables with the 4 open ground lugs that bend out to fit & hold works fine. Tuner varies from early Germaniums to a rare 1969 version with Ceramic Filters, the tuner is reliable. The Protection Circuit is difficult-useless as even on the one we got in 2018, after 20 mins the protection cuts in, if there's not a problem, but this seems to affect the amp now & alteration is needed. This is useless to save your Speakers, it just Mutes the amp if the Power amp is still live. It just cuts power to the 4th transistor on the Tone board to Mute. Phono Stage is a good sounding one as a 1966 design. Tone Controls need to correctly midway to get Flat Sound as even half a notch out if the knobs aren't fixed on midway will fool you. The Power Supply is interesting as it uses Dual Windings from One Transformer with ±HT for each of the Power Amp channels, an idea long before other amps used the similar Dual Transformers which is as the Harman-Kardon 930 uses & the later Sansui G-33000 Monster Receiver uses. Biasing is best to ignore the awkward Fuses partly out idea, to read across the Output Resistors & the DC offset on the Speaker outputs is the best way. We did differently on the 2018 one, it had the 1 ohm resistors plus the extra 10 ohm between driver board & outputs, as per the Bulletin changes. To start with line up the 4 pots so the screw line, on looking front inwards, has the clear pot tab to the right & with the screw slot vertical towards you, this is how some are locked by paint after all. The earlier 3000 & possibly some of the earlier 3000A have black pot screws so is different. The issue with this amp is DC offset can get high if adjusted wrong. Put the Multimeter on the Speaker Outputs with Left is the Leftmost pot & Right is the Rightmost pot & set to as near 0mV as you can get it, under 100mV after letting it settle is about the best you'll get & putting a speaker on will reduce the 100mV to about 5mV. But amps without the alterations may not be this easy. To check mV across the white 1 ohm resistors then showed very low mV as the Outputs are correctly biased, DC offset is when the voltages aren't balanced. The mid pots you can leave set & the outer ones are the Bias Adjust to balance, you don't want to adjust both pots as neither will be a reference & it'll go over 1v DC offset. Once set, turn the amp off for a while & try readings again to see they keep adequately stable. We trusted our 2014 one on our Tannoys for a few months so it's safe once adjusted right. REVISITED 2018: Not had one since selling ours over 3 years ago if it's always been one remembered if they are only around in the USA now. A customer gets one sent to us to Upgrade so we can learn it all over again as we did use a 3000A on our speakers for several months as it was liked. This is a later run one with the '1971 mods' already fitted if hard to tell if it's Factory done as the resistors are 1970s looking ones & the 35v 1000µf bi-polar output capacitors. It's had a clumsy repair in TV Guy way & just put any old output TO3s isn't good. Very clean amp inside though, not had much use. Very Advanced amp for 1966-68, see the 1966 Sansui 3000 review to see the differences in the versions. Power Switch is unusual as even when off you have no idea if it's switched on or off, a rotary type switch keeps it at the same position instead of less shows meaning 'on'. So first try is a gamble unless you meter test it, which we did to ensure it was 'off'. Another quirk is revealed, the Volume Control doesn't track too evenly set very low & doesn't totally silence which is how the others were too, it's 1966 after all. Then the Rocker Switches can be intermittent & needs some attitude to get L+R playing. On First Try as Unserviced. Bass is rich with some of the Retro Bass if the Damping Factor of 15 keeps Bass more open than most amps. In 1966 this amp was competing with the likes of the Fisher 600-T & for it's more 'natural' design, the 3000A was a great buy. To hear a little used one with a xx904xxx code means Apr 1969 shows how great this amp will have been new, but now it's old & to use an amp of this age often will bring problems eventually. We remember the circuit is 'tuned' to sound as nice as this but if trying to upgrade more we found it brings out 'the age' of things more & became difficult. Undeniably still one of the Best Amps, if it's getting old & is a quirky one for the DC offset & other early issues. Care Needed. For the want of keeping these alive, a few pointers as we've had 3 of these now. If it cuts out after 20 mins, it's not faulty, but it's the protection circuit playing up, this is typical as original or upgraded. The Power Switch looks the same on or offm, see above. To be sure the DC Offset with an 8 ohm load is under 100mV to keep it safe in use, to read it with no speaker load will mislead. The Tuner Glass does remove, undo the 2 bulb holders with the fascia off. the rubbers on the glass are not glued to either the bracket or the amp body, but the rubber ages to sort of stick solid. don't force it, don't unpick the glued glass rubber, but a bit of knife action in the gap between rubber & the bulb plastic bracket will free it. The glass print survives a wash always too. The 4 Power Supply fuses we've seen big 30mm fuses in that barely touch, UK 25mm mains fuse fits fine. FM Ceramic Filters. In a Sep 2018 blog we noticed these started being in 1969 Tuners & the one we have here has a later "FAMT 103U" Tuner Front End which has 2 of these on. Looking at the 2 of this amp we've had before as both on the Solds Gallery page, neither have this. Looking at the Serial Number, the 3rd number is the Year & the 4th-5th are the Month which reveals "904" meaning this one was a late one made Apr 1969 as the Ceramic Filter idea was introduced only this year. Sansui Date Codes. From info found online pre Sep 1967 an 8 digit code has 2nd number as the year & 3rd-4th as the month. On 9 digit codes past Oct 1967 the 3rd number is the year & 4th-5th are the month. Sound As Almost Original. See the Sept 2018 blog for more. DC Offset with speakers connected just needed a slight adjust to keep under 10mV without doing a full bias. Not scary to use, you can see we trust it, if we did use the earlier one for months so are familiar with it. BUY-RAW RATING: Beware of DC offset levels, capacitors in this even with a little used 1969 one showed as faulty on speakers, it needs recapping to be reliable. REBUILD RATING: An early design with lots of quirks & difficulties to bring the best out of it, much can be done with this amp in upgrading. These are advanced amps to upgrade, they are findable in the USA if prices are reasonable as these do age more than some amps. COOL RATING: 9 one of the classiest looking amps in the big wood case, very mid 60s Bachelor pad with solid aluminium knobs adding class to the 1966 500A above. (2011-2019)

1968 Sony STR-6120 receiver↑AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Very Good. UPGRADED: Excellent. 50w.CC. BEWARE: The Early Tape Head ones from 1968 are now too aged with bad capacitors. They Always need a Rebuild & NOT to just plug in to hope as you'll damage the amp is likely. The best sounding Sony receiver & a long time favourite of ours. Just so musical, precise & well balanced, it has put many to shame and still sounds great as we upgrade one Nov 2017. Much upgradeable too & others may overtake it but then the 6120 can take upgrades & still win. Very well built with quality parts, all mica in the audio stages no ceramics. A combination of their top quality 5000FW updated tuner & a modified version of the TA-1120A amplifier = STR-6120. It's 50w rated, if the Manual says 60w 'each channel' meaning just one channel used, a misleading rating. The 1970 version without 'Tape Head' rates the same as the first one, though has an extra Aux input to the earlier one. The STR-6200 & STR-6200F are similar but actually about half is different. One of the best looking receivers with it's wood case & hideously expensive when new £387 in 1969 means few are around worldwide except USA really. Why so much more than the others? Superior tuner, better power supply, advanced tone & preamp that differs from the fussier TA-1120(A) design. A top FM tuner once recapped can sound excellent. Later hearing a Tape Head version in unusually high grade all original beyond a bad power cap then replaced it sounds very enjoyable, the solid Sony midrange is there to set it apart from many. Bass on one with little use isn't so limited as once more aged which helps up the AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced) rating, treble is decent if a little lacking in focus to one recapped as is typical for the age, but nothing rough sounding here. The 6120 will have sounded exceptional when new for power & sound. The design uses low value coupling capacitors that create a 'Retro Bass' sound that is appealing, but can be made to sound more natural with a deeper bass. An amp perfectly matched to the Tannoy Golds & was probably designed for them. In terms of design, this is a fresher sound than the TA-1120 or 1120A. The phono stage is perhaps the Best Transistor phono stage we've heard using Ortofon & Goldring cartridges. We've had a few of these now since our first in 2002, the 1968 'Tape Head' one & the 1970 'Aux 3' are the same amp if that minor change & a different mains transformer. To put the difficulties with this amp into the next section, it's not an amp to rush into buying, if worth it if you do... BUY-RAW RATING: These are often well used & for the age & high power, to use raw is probably too risky except on the later 'Aux 3' version. REBUILD RATING: The 'Tape Head' 1968 version is usually in poor grade inside from heavy use as such a great amp. Capacitors will usually be leaky & to not try on mains is the best advice. Even a high grade looking one can still be very aged inside & not good to use more than briefly to see if it works. The 'Aux 3' 1970 version is found less often if the gold Cadmium plating of the chassis means it ages better inside visually but still the 93v HT will mean the main capacitors are too risky to use for long. To rebuild either one of these properly is a big job, all we've had were with old repairs & despite it being a great amp, only get into one if you want to spend for the big rebuild. It's worth it, but it'll not be cheap. Beware of loose wires on the power amp board if it's been worked on before, this can cause big problems. The 'Aux 3' one may be more useable 'raw' but the 'Tape Head' version isn't worth risking mains on until rebuilt. We have a look at this amp as we upgrade it board by board to see how it sounds instead of just doing the lot & knowing where most difference is made. COOL RATING: 9 in the big wood case either version looks very cool, the expense not spared look for your rich Bachelor Pad. Simple but strong looks, the pick of the Vintage Receivers looks wise. (2002-2017)

1968 Toshiba SA-15Y receiver↑
AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Very Good. UPGRADED: Excellent. 30w.CC. This is a rare 1968 early receiver that has great looks. Sold in the UK late 1969-early 1970 together with the SA-20Y which were both in Hifi News ads. By having FETs in the Tuner it dates to 1968 as the 1967 idea was ICs & in 1967-69 Tuners changed a lot, it's quirky like Early JVC if with standard Tone Controls. The amp works & has that luscious late 1960s sound not unlike the FIsher 600-T, if it's past it's best the tuner does work on FM & MW. The fascia is interesting, when off it's a black perspex 'blackout' design with an aluminium frame, much like the 1971 Pioneer SX-770 if that's only a 15w as not the later 1970s series. Rocker switches, Power switch for Speakers & for Headphones to move to the 'Ext Phones' 3rd notch. Rear panel has all Phono sockets & DIN duplicates Tape. Main speakers are typical screws which aren't too user friendly if the second speaker outputs are a non-standard 2 pin socket. Transistors behind the rectangular covers are 2SC793 'R' (red) 60w 7A made by Toshiba. The 1971 HFYB lists both these receivers SA15 30w £159, SA20 50w £189 plus a 15w SA2600 £63, distributed by Hanimex, London. No Amplifiers or Tuners listed, if a range of Turntables, Tape machines & Loudspeakers, in the 1972 HFYB but gone until 1976 with a new range. SA-20Y is found online & looks exactly the same inside too, so will just be higher power at 50w. Apparently there is a SA-10Y too. Build inside is good, resettable circuit breaker buttons on the rear & the Manual says part of the 'Boston' series & quotes Damping Factor of 100 with 30w/30w at 8 ohm if can drive 4-16 ohms. Tuner has 2 FETs & one of the very few No-IC tuners as all transistors otherwise. The 'Boston' is a Music Centre range of quality as various models online. Capacitor Coupled, boards look like JVC with white printed lines. Bigger size receiver too. Some build quality is like Fisher with the metal spring ground cabling trunking & the Input Selector at the rear corner saves lots of wires so the whole amp is quite tidy compared to some. HT is 68.3v which is healthy for a 30w rated amp. The minus with this amp is the Aux goes into the Phono stage via a large resistor, an old idea from the Valve era, if Tape In bypasses that for the more direct signal path. Has a proper 'Mono' unlike early Pioneer & also pre out-main in connectors which is unusual for 1968 beyond the Sony TA-1120(A). the bridge rectifier looks like the Yamaha CR-2020 ones, a 'Toshiba M9235' rectifier block, actually a 90v 4A bridge. Has a 3A main fuse, 1.6A circuit breakers. One on ebay Nov 2018 has differences with Power Outlets & is likely to be a 110v-only one as a SA-20Y seen lacks the Multivoltage block. Sound Quality As Raw. Playing input to the Tape In to avoid the noisy Aux stage, the volume is very low going past halfway to get some life out of it, a Mainsy hum & a bassy rumble noise tell you all is not well & for 50 years age in Hifi, rarely do you get useable amps this old. The sound is surprisingly crisp with very wide stereo & deep soundstage bringing out detail well. The Bass is a bit Retro Bass as typical. So to circuit gaze & see further if the schematic is rough to not read values too well. The great sound playing the amp for over 30 mins shows it's worth it, there is some designing to the audio as with the Sony TA-1120 but it does sound great. Does it better the upgraded Sony STR-6120 though? On later versions the Tape In-Out has an extra tiny PCB right by the DIN socket with a buffer for Tape Out, Tape In goes through 2 resistors with no transistor. Early amp with Phono, Tape Head & Aux 1 & 2 going to the Phono stage, Aux via large resistors as some amps do. But Tape In with the extra board is better as it can allow a Direct Line Level input with a little alteration. The Amp sounded good with no noises via the Pre Out-Power In loop. The amp uses 'Marcon' brand capacitors, not familiar ones but they were actually Toshiba's own brand if the name later sold to another manufacturer. Partly Rebuilt Verdict. Sounds great with Preamp & Input stages rebuilt, not touched the Power Amps or Power Supply yet. The LED bulbs are awful with the fascia off as they are on AC so flicker in a mindbending way. The amp is very fast sounding for 'only 30w' & plays upfront if detailed. Shows the rest is still aged though but a 1968 amp sounding this great already is unexpected, but how many more finds like this are there left? The 50w version of this would be interesting to know. To get the Original Manual of this SA-15Y to get the circuit readable as the pdf is a poor photocopy turned up the original printed one if £50 delivered was high but no other options. So we have the circuits readable now to understand it better. SA-15Y vs SA-20Y comparing? Sadly this is the trouble with trusting stuff online, the SA-20Y circuit on a German site is actually the SA-15Y as it shows exactly the same including the transformer number "PT -1006" which is the smaller one as in our amp. But two photos of the SA 20Y show the bigger transformer PT 1010(?), heatsinks on the Power amp transistors, an extra part on 4 vacant holes on the left by the Tx as well as finned heatsinks on the rear panel, an ebay seller had pdf manuals to sell in 2012. Tests on this show it can put out 24v RMS clean sine, but no trace of crossover distortion even on the new Scope. 24v is typical for a 40w amp, so underspec rating here, if ours is now upgraded. Upgraded Verdict. This upgrades nicely bringing out a crisp clean sound. A little redesign to bring it to our standards & that's often done in upgrading anyway. Good volume on Speakers & Headphones making it compare to the 32.5w Realistic STA-150. Trying again once listed For Sale on the Tannoys, after the Sony pair with them as a very neutral sound, the Toshiba is neutral too if a bit livelier sounding with quite a different sound, a little punchier needing less Bass & Treble Tone gain than some amps. In comparing to an upgraded Sony STR-6120 it actually sounds very like it, if with the earlier lower Damping Factor giving it more of a Bassline heading towards the looser Valve bass. Connections on the rear panel are mostly typical, MM Phono, old style Tape Head for Tape Players with no electronics, Aux 1&2 are available with the rear slider switch selecting between them for different input levels, Aux 2 is a tiny bit louder & brighter than Aux 1. Pre Out-Main In, Tape Rec & PB, the Rec Out has a buffer stage which is unusual & not on all versions of this amp. Speaker outs are fiddly screws that we put the usual 4mm connectors & an obscure 2 pin plug for Ext. Speakers, if few ever try to run more than one speaker pair. The 'Protection' buttons are a 1.6A resettable circuit breaker on the Power Amp HT. 200VA (200w) max power is good for a 30w amp. BUY-RAW RATING: 50 years old now & it will have issues. REBUILD RATING: A more complex one to do, even with the circuits, no board markings. COOL RATING: 8 looks good in the wood case with the black-out front that has a green tuner light. (2018)

1968 Trio-Kenwood TK-150 amplifier↑
AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Recommended-Very Good. UPGRADED: n/a. 13w.CC. Again like the other smaller power Trios, budget price amps with a pleasing fresh sound, if modest power only keeps them lower in the rankings than the sound quality itself. The TK-150 is the same amp as the KA-2000 for different countries. The similar TK-250 is 20w. Again, the quality of these early Trio can't be hidden, even with a 2011 review. See the Tuners page for more info. ** See the 1971 Trio KA-2002 below for a similar amp that we upgraded 2018. BUY-RAW RATING: Good. REBUILD RATING: Not done one of these, quite a basic amp so should be much like the receivers with the power supplies taking work. COOL RATING: 5 average retro looks if functional & a small size amp. (2011)

1968 Trio-Kenwood TK-140X receiver↑
AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Very Good. UPGRADED: Excellent. 53w.CC. Despite being the X version of their 1967 receiver, this is totally redesigned inside if looking very similar to the 1967 TK-140E from 1967 externally, noted above, with more power at 53w for 8 ohms both channels driven. There are 2 versions. Mk I has the UA 1343K power amp board, Mk II has UA 1384J, only the boards tell if silver label on Mk I & black label on Mk II. First advertised in the UK Mar 1969 HFN so is a 1968 release. Styling is based on the TK-150/250 & KA-2000 amplifiers. The tuner window shows 'Integrated circuit', the Lever switches are black & the back panel is black. This is a Capacitor Coupled redesign the same almost as the KA-6000. The metal case with no wood outer made leaves it a little plain if the fascia is nice exactly as the E version has. The back panel has easier to use screw connectors, pre out-power amp in sockets & a different MW antenna else much the same. Very packed insides & heavier than the E version and it's a smaller sized 420mm wide with hardwiring like a Valve amp, so still early looking compared to the Sony STR-6120 that was more PCB based. Some have the black lid & the long arm antenna, some have the wood effect one, short hinged antenna & a white Serial plate, if none have a wood case. We have both the 6000 & 140 at the same time to compare. The power amp board is UA1343K1 on the 6000, should be UA1343K2 on the TK-140X but ours is a later one UA1384J with just one adjust pot, no thermistors, simplified protection circuit with an axial 100v 47µf board capacitor. The UA1343K1 version has different tuner boards inside, one each AM & FM. So there are 2 versions internally of the TK-140X if the sound is no different as original or upgraded in comparinmg to our KA-6000. To spot the UA1384J & one tuner board version, the back label is black, the lid is usually black & a white wire is not visible through the top grille like the earlier version, but in compares of either X version both will be quite similar. Having the KA-6000 here & recapped it to the same level initially, the compare is interesting, the TK & KA have the same sweet sound, if the TK as with the original power supply & output caps lacks the fullness of the KA. There is a rightness to the sound that few amps do. Now fully recapped it has a strong rich sound with more bass than some, but still crisp and clean. On speakers the early Trio-Kenwood play louder than you'd expect, useful for less sensitive speakers. Perfect match for the Tannoy Golds. The pick of the Trio-Kenwood receivers for such a sweet detailed sound. The black label later version we have is very hard to find, if either 'X' version is the best of the Trio-Kenwood receivers. See the Tuners page for more info. UPDATE 2017: We had two of these at once, not so unusual with amps we like. We got the first one we got back again... it was still with the original power supply caps, Elna ones are still good we've found on cutting them open. Recapping this is a real tough one. After playing the TK-140X for a while, try the KA-6000 as we keep one as a reference amp. The 45w power makes a slight difference, the sound is very similar as both designed at the same time. After upgrading both TK-140X Mk II (UA1384J) & KA-6000 (UA1343K) they sound the same. How do you Bias the black later version? You don't, it's autobias. See the 1969 Trio KA-6000 below for a pre-power compare. The TK-140X Mk II we rate as sounding better than the KA-6000 for the 'black label' version. Looks aren't so pretty but it sounds excellent on headphones & 1969 Tannoys. The KA-6000 & TK-140X are the Best of the Trio-Kenwood early range & sound so great on big speakers. Actually the TK-140X Mk II amp was also used in the KR-6160 receiver. BUY-RAW RATING: Good. Tuners on these early ones often not working right, the Trio-Kenwood tuners are not so good despite the amp stages being quality. This amplifier needs a proper 3 core mains + earth cable, see above. REBUILD RATING: Very upgradeable if the Power Supply to redo is quite a job, some awkward parts. COOL RATING: 7 but there are 2 versions as stated above, plus the black lid looks less appealing so a 6, but the brown wood effect lid looks better, a little lacking in style if still Bachelor Pad looks with the wood veneer front & nice lever switches. (2014-17)

1969 B+O Beomaster 3000 receiver↑
AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Recommended. UPGRADED: n/a. 30w.CC. One of the all-time stylish classics & sounds the sweetest one of the 1970s Beomasters at 30w, a fine neutral sound here. Always needs good servicing & a nice grade one all original & of little use deserves a high rating. Average ones can sound rough though. Sweet quality of sound rather than loud & bassy. A more domestic easy sound than some, but with a pleasing sound still. A more used one will not rate this high as certain parts age & lose the fidelity those BC 147/8/9 again & will benefit from new transistors to get the higher rating. Sold well but are usually found in need of TLC as much needs servicing if not much to upgrade on this early model as the capacitors are usually still good. The 1972 3000-2 rates the same & is so similar it doesn't make any difference. Beware the bulbs must be 12v 30mA & the tuner meter one is 6v 30mA or they won't light evenly. Cloudy sliders are due to plastic aging on later ones esp the 3000-2, not dirt or smoke as the earliest ones are still clear. Can suffer from bad transistors that age to sound rough. Capacitors are usually good unless obviously leaking or split, but this amp needs a lot of servicing to sound it's best so many are found in need of work. We thought to upgrade one fully, but there are so many components on an awkward main board. A design that lasted until the 1977 Beomaster 4400 was ended in about 1981, it does suffer from crude construction with the power supply & associated resistors on the 3000, early 3000-2s & early 4000 being a mess with little grunt to it. But they did sell very well & once cleaned up looking nice they do have a lot of retro appeal. One oddity is the amp itself has FM scale of 88-104 but the ad in the 1971 HFYB clearly shows it goes up to 108, but only the later 4400 from 1977 had this. We've had some very early all-beige underboard ones & always 104. But one sold Aug 2014 of a Beomaster 3000-2 clearly showing 88-108 on the scale, it may be an unknown limited export model perhaps. BUY-RAW RATING: Always in need of a good Servicing, bad switches & controls are common raw. To take the front panel apart is risking insanity. REBUILD RATING: We never rebuilt one of these despite having several, The earlier ones capacitors survived better than the later models. Build quality is difficult in places & the design doesn't really seem worth upgrading, we did consider it but saw too many limitations to try, so we avoid B+O gear if we can. COOL RATING: 7 the unique styling sets them apart, the 3000 (-2) looks best with the teak lid as this is the usual lid, if found in rosewood & factory white sprayed too, but compared to the 4400 just dips it a point. (2014)

1969 Pioneer SX-1500TD receiver↑
AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Recommended-Very Good. UPGRADED: n/a. 45w.CC. Has the new Second Generation design with the side wood trim styling like the mid 1970s SX-950 amps & better design if still a little basic in places. The sound when we had one quite early in our amp testing was noted as not being as open & airy sounding as the 1967 ones, but trying the very similar SX-990 it still sounds Very Good. It's an updated version of the SX-1500TF with a good volume & clarity, beware the mic control must be set to off or it's hissy. Has a proper Mono switch. The power amp board is very cramped & has output capacitors on it that makes the amp less appealing to upgrade & hard if it's been repaired untidily. The Power amp is hard to repair it without unsoldering all wires which is not easy. The SA-900 is the amplifier version. Much later, on getting the SX-990 which is basically the exact same amp if a 28w version, we can see this amp should get upgraded, so see the 990 for how well it done. BUY-RAW RATING: Good if power amp hasn't been repaired badly before. REBUILD RATING: Usual early Pioneer issues if the Power Amp board can be a nightmare if with old bad repairs & output caps on the board need care. Tricky one. COOL RATING: 7 new styling to the earlier ones if not quite the looks for higher rating. (2014)

1969 Sansui Model 4000 receiver↑
AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Very Good. UPGRADED: Excellent. 45w.CC. Another early Sansui gem, we hoped this would improve on the quirks of the wonderful 3000A & it does have a very similar sound even before recapping. These earliest SS Sansuis are high quality amps. This one is a more modern sound than the 3000A & has an unusual Aux input that is different to the Tape input, it actually goes through a big resistor onto the Phono board, to use Tape In is the best way for best sound. But is a precise 2nd Generation sound for it and only Sansui used the idea in 1969-70. Unusual design that needs to be restrained if recapping can make it less compatible with modern gear. A quirky amp with a fine sound, similar to the 3000A, but it's not for inexperienced users. BUY-RAW RATING: Good. REBUILD RATING: The plug in power amp boards are easier than some, underneath boards can be awkward. COOL RATING: 8 looks stylish with the wood case, also came with a glossy metal one that rates 7, the first blackout tuner design amps, use Aux & no tuner is lit making it a little plain, rating for tuner lit. (2013)

1969 Sony STR-6050 receiver↑
AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Very Good. UPGRADED: Excellent. 40w.CC. Finding this was the same basic amp as the STR-6850 below, need to try the original version as the STR-6850 sounds so Very Good, if that had a few issues. It appears to be an updated version of the 45w STR-6060FW from 1967 that has the front flap & brown levers. It's rated 30w as is the STR-6850 but the output suggests at least 40w. STR-6060 works on 80v, STR-6050 on 73v so 40w is correct, if the STR-6850 measures 84v. The STR-6060 is an earlier version of the STR-6120 but the STR-6050 is later but still the capacitor coupled design which the STR-6850 reveals as a fresher sound than the 6120 if the power supply right on the selectors creates hum & is a bit low spec. This could be the best Sony receiver therefore, if you don't need the higher power. The 6050 is a fresher sound than the 6120, if the 6120 is more sophisticated. Sony finally arrive in the HFYB in 1970 with STR ranges: 6040 15w £112, 6050 30w (40w really) £145, 6060(FW)45w £187 & 6120 50w £387. A minimalist version of the 1968 STR-6120 sharing no boards with it as well as smaller & lighter, if still a 220VA draw compared to the 280VA of the 50w 6120. A rarer one as we've seen a few STR-6060FW & 6120s, but never this one in the EU. Capacitors, not axial, fitted underneath with the largest 3300µf 80v with tabs being as tall as the cabinet height, so a good use of space. Tiny pre-tone board underneath if all the other boards are top mounted. Noticeable differences in transistors used to the STR-6850 board. The speaker connectors as screws aren't much good as the usual 4mm block that fits on others is too unsure here, it'd be better with updated ones. Volume control is split L+R on the one control, losing the balance control. First try reveals a clean lively sound that the STR-6120 never had as original, a very clean focussed treble we've heard in no other original Sony amp. It betters the STR-6850 as original easily too. Transistor count as the STR-6850: Phono x2, Tone-Pre x2, Power Amp x7 & the simple but Very Good circuit reveals it's an impressive amp even as original, though this is a light use one. It could recap & upgrade to higher quality still. The winner in this amp from knowing the STR-6850 is the power amp board. But after listening we wonder why it sounds a little strange after upgrading & find the Aux goes to the Phono board like Sansui used on the 4000 & 5000, so to use Tape In for a Direct input, if it takes a very trained ear to tell the difference unlike the Sansui one. The 6850 is Aux direct. By the 1971 range with the identical looking STR-6055 it was updated with the lesser differential & semi complimentary design. 4cm narrower than the STR-6120 & 6kg lighter shows it's had costs cut in the casework, but the circuitry is still quality. It upgrades as well as the STR-6120, a seriously good amp here. The same wood case the 6055 & 6065 has should fit. A ridiculous design fault here is that no fuses are fitted in this amp at all. Not on anything. We'd recommend you get one fitted inside on the Mains or at least be sure the mains plug has a 3A fuse on it. REVISITED 2016: We got one of these a year before & found for the no-fuses issue the transformer was totally frazzled. But the amp was nice grade & it deserved to live. New bought transformers aren't any good for the size, but we found a 1979 Eagle amp in poor grade & gambled that the tx was good. it was & looking at it a few weeks after fitting it, you'd not tell it wasn't the original, perfect size, if 240v only now. HT is slighly less at 62v instead of the 73v, so to fully test it to see it is correct on other stages to be sellable. On playing it for 30mins on fitting the tx it sounded fine, so to recap & upgrade it as these early Sony always sell fast. BUY-RAW RATING: Good if working, but read our Fuses comment. REBUILD RATING: Overall not too difficult if needs a mains fuse fitting as none in the amp which is foolish. COOL RATING: 8 with the wood case. a budget version of the 6120 in some ways if still looks & sounds Very Good. (2014)

1969 Teac AG-7000 receiver↑
AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Very Good. UPGRADED: Excellent. 65w.SC, DIFF. A rarer early Teac appears to be a 1969-70 one & similarities with the Teac AS-100 from 1971 as well as being semi-complimentary which is early for 1969. A well made amp with fine looks. Sound quality is rich, detailed, clean on the treble, neutral & overall excellent and for the rating raw as-is the focus is just so high. A Very Good looking amp in it's wood case too. This amp 'as-is' gets a very high rating as it is just so good even all original (and better recapped). The few early Teac are highly recommended by us. Sadly most Teac you see are mass market modern systems, hiding the high quality of their amps from the 1969-71 era. See the Teac AG-6000 below for a later opinion of nearly the same amp. The wood case is a genuine Teac item, a June 1972 Hifi News ad shows it. TEAC actually used more or less the same design on all their 1969-71 amps so all will rate similar, the Teac AG8500 is a slightly later one with revised looks but still the same amp inside. BUY-RAW RATING: Good. This amplifier needs a proper 3 core mains + earth cable, see above. COOL RATING: 7 the wood case that comes with this looks a bit unconvincing, so the black gloss metal lid rates the same, the first blackout tuner design amps, use Aux & no tuner is lit making it a little plain, rating for tuner lit. (2013)

1969 Teac AG-6000 receiver↑
AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Very Good. UPGRADED: Excellent. 50w.SC, DIFF. A little surprised to find this is the exact same amp as the AG-7000 if the transformer has a lower voltage & the Tuner differs on the metal box part. An AG-3000 is a 36w version too. This one has the proper metal top lid & base, the AG-7000 we had was with a wood case if no top lid that we found a little unconvincing as we picture on our Solds page, maybe it wasn't official? The User Manual pictures this as ours is here & the AG-7000 flyer again no wood case. We do like these early TEAC & all seem to be the same basic power amp, if a very decent one & early for it to have differentials & semi-complimentary with no output capacitor as most only first used those in 1971. Now this being a typical later design we've tried to better other later amps to try to match the pre 1971 typical design, but they don't quite come close. Will this be the one to change the opinion? Another Teac AS-100 we rated very highly so perhaps this can upgrade more than the 1973-75 ones we've tried. All in the interests of perfecting upgrading. First play of it as arrived just to see what it's like, the precise clean sound few amps have all-original, strong clean treble & midrange if bass appears a bit lacking, if a known bassy track reveals the clean midrange hides it unlike some amps with a more recessed midrange. It still has the pre 1971 magic sound that we've failed to find in any post 1971 differential amp, suspecting there was the weakness, but as often it's down to the design. Some tracks reveal volume needs to go halfway for a decent sound on headphones. The sound is like the Sansui 5000X (F6013) for a level of tight precision if a more refined sound. Knowing these Teac recapped & upgraded, it could be said it sounds a bit cold for the precise midrange as original, but the sound opened up with upgrades fills in the bass better. The 4 ohm resistor on the speaker outputs is only for connecting more than one speaker pair and is not always in circuit. Costing on these early Teac is clearly well considered with no need to cheap out: no ceramics in the audio stages just best quality silvered mica & polystyrene caps. The only minus here is the speaker connectors are the ones best known as 1971 Marantz type, here mounted upside down to hide the live metal area, but the early ones plastic goes crumbly with age so are too tatty. The circuit looks like Aux goes into Phono, but it just shows on the Phono board to not affect the signal. Recapped & upgraded we initially found it a bit disappointing, volume was not very good needing past midway, as Teac always have. but with extra gain & all the upgrades we could do it sounds very pleasing now. Of amps with Differentials on the power amp, this one still sounds flatter than the non-differential ones on the virtual size of Stereo on Headphones, if that takes a trained ear to notice. But certainly a quality one as the ratings show & of the differential amps this is perhaps the best one. It sounds very good on Tannoy Golds with strong bass, clean treble & an accurate midrange, a perfect match. REVISITED 2018. Not had one of the Teac Receivers in a few years now. At the same time we have a Teac AS-100 amplifier here too for upgrading, so to compare the two is interesting. The AS-100 power amp is basically the same as the AG-6000/AG-7000 one if the Differentials & NFB stages are slightly altered. The AG-6000 is a small cute amp with nice solid metal control knobs. The AS-100 has an IC for the Preamp-Tone with the AG-6000 having 2 transistors, but ICs were a selling point in the early 1970s. The AS-100 varies in quality for the IC & it spoils the amp. The AG-6000 sounds spot on, a very clean smooth sound with a precise midrange if not the stongest bass. If we like the amp we sit playing it as typing & the AG-6000 plays 1970s Reggae very nicely. As for the AS-100, for the IC & possibly the changes to the Power anmp, it's not as smooth & needs Bass tamed else it goes unstable. Teac certainly got it right on the AG-6000 & AG-7000. This one is in a Wood Case, with the metal fascia border standing out from the wood case looks a little awkward, if so did the AG-7000 case. Cute Amp with a Very Decent Sound & on previous tests it was great on Speakers too. BUY-RAW RATING: Good. This amplifier needs a proper 3 core mains + earth cable, see above. COOL RATING: 7 the wood case that comes with this looks a bit unconvincing, so the black gloss metal lid rates the same, the first blackout tuner design amps, use Aux & no tuner is lit making it a little plain, rating for tuner lit. (2014)

1969 Trio-Kenwood KR-33 receiver↑
AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Recommended-Very Good. UPGRADED: n/a. 25w.CC. Similar to the TK-66 if lower power and one early with us. Bit industrial looking but the sound on the early Trios is worthwhile & if we had one again it could rank higher. Again, the quality of these early Trio can't be hidden, even with a 2011 review. See the Tuners page for more info. BUY-RAW RATING: Good. This amplifier needs a proper 3 core mains + earth cable, see above. Tuners on these early ones often not working right, the Trio-Kenwood tuners are not so good despite the amp stages being quality. COOL RATING: 6 as with other Trio receivers noted above (2011)

1969 Trio-Kenwood KA-2000 amplifier↑
AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Recommended-Very Good. UPGRADED: n/a. 13w.CC. The 1968-69 range of Trio-Kenwood are nice sounding, see the KA-6000 below for their best one, just the 13w keeps it's recommend level lower, needs the side wood cheeks to look it's best. A good starter amp findable for not much money. A nice clean sound here & the first one we bought of recent times that started these pages. See TK-150 above as it's the same amp. Again, the quality of these early Trio can't be hidden, even with a 2011 review. The KA-2000A is the same amp with an updated fascia as one on ebay showed the insides. ** See the 1971 Trio KA-2002 below for a similar amp that we upgraded 2018. BUY-RAW RATING: Good. COOL RATING: 5 average retro looks if functional & a small size amp. (2011)

1969 Trio-Kenwood KA-6000 amplifier↑
AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Very Good. UPGRADED: Excellent. 45w.CC. The first of the quality Trio-Kenwood amplifiers, very advanced for it's age & way ahead in build quality & weight of most other Trios & very musical & open like the other high rateds in this table. Very Good looking with the matching tuner. Variants on this are the earliest has a black inside floor & is 110-240v, the standard one has a silver inside floor & is 110-240v if be aware of a later 110/120v-only one that we have seen online. Needs a good servicing to sound it's best else it sounds soft & unremarkable. First mentioned in the Oct 1969 HFN if rated '58w+58w' with the TK-140X rated at '60w+60w', if both have the same power amp & put out 31v clean sine. The ratings are "each channel driven" ie use the L channel only, but that's misleading, as 45w both channels driven. For a 1969 amp, it has a rare MC phono stage & other ideas used by amps later, ie tone defeats. This is basically the same as the 1969 TK-140X receiver as the boards are just about the same, if the KA-6000 has better spec inside. A lot of work to service up though. For the 1967 receiver version of this amp, see TK-140E above. One of the classiest looking vintage amps especially with the tuner, with a fine sound. Jan 1970 Hifi News reviews this, their tests show it gave a high 70w clean output into 8 ohms before clipping. the MC phono stage showing hiss, but the preamp transistors used were clearly not so good but can be upgraded to much quieter ones, as we did on ours. Overall they rate it outstanding & of 'True Hifi Standards' yet at a modest £105 new it wasn't a big seller as not too many are around worldwide. Ours we initially kept all original & it stayed as a benchmark shaming many other amps for quite a while. This amplifier has so many new features that were used by many others: metal cages inside, MM phono stage, pink LED type lights if with bulbs, blue originally if plastic yellows so pink light now, defeatable Tone stages & a Very Good sound. Even has stepped tone controls & pre out-power in connectors, though Sony got there first on those two. This amp set the benchmark for the modern amplifier. The inside cages & other features led the scene but the KA-6000 is actually very early & quite like a valve amp still with strangely placed boards & much hardwiring. The power amp board plugs in & is quite random looking with the same circuit changes as the Trio one, it was like the TK-140E input. UA1343K power amp totals 6 transistors per channel plus 4 in total for protection. The fascia is letter-stamped neater than the Trio one & we are the first ones to open this one. But the spec for 1969 is still very high compared to some, the 65mm dia 4000µf 100v main cap & 3300µf output caps are way ahead of the Sony STR-6120. The big cap after seeing how badly the same one in the Sony TA-1120(A) is, decided to replace this. On cutting it open, actually it was still good if a bit dry, the Sony with the doubled output transistors must use it harder than the KA-6000 does. In all the amps we've seen, this is one of the Most Important Early Amplifiers (not Receivers) in the hifi story together with the more flawed Sony TA-1120(A). Multivoltage. Most are Multivoltage with the slider switch on the rear, if a few are 110v only without the switch, so if buying from USA check for this. Matching Tuner is usually the KT-5000, a nice Tuner with 2 basic ICs though our Trio & now Kenwood differ from the circuits, the Kenwood one much different. Also the unfindable earlier KT-7000 with 4 basic ICs if slightly higher spec matches. T-K tuners are decent if the de-emphasis isn't for the UK value so a little dull until altered. For the 1969 Tannoy Golds, this amp is a Perfect Match, if the TK-140X going further it's not so obvious on speakers as headphones. Deciding to recap-upgrade revealed the Power Amp needed it & the sound is very different with a solid focus. Circuit reveals this amp has the Tone before the Volume, the only ones we've ever found like this are some early Solid State Trio-Kenwoods if not the KA-8004. Having the TK-140X here & recapped it to the same level, if upgraded a few more things, the compare is interesting, the TK is the same wide rich sound if the TK. Differences in power supply notice a bit but it's still the original caps on both, the KA being higher spec. Now Recapped all but the big main cap & opens it out more. The big main cap is still high spec & the same value is still made, if 70mV ripple is not Very Good, it sounds clean still. There is a rightness to the sound that not many amps do with a very wide stereo. We've rated it for quite a while now, if never upgraded one before. As you can read, we rate this amp highly, if others copy our idead, like that ebay guide page. No-one noticed these pre 1977 amps much until we did. We heard of one that was 'upgraded' that supposedly sounded worse than the KR-4140 18w receiver below. But on seeing the awful job done, what do they expect? Respect these old amps & get it done properly & you'll hear one of the best amps ever, or get it wrong & wonder why. Quite a bit later, after the Akai AA7000 proved to be so good, the KA6000 doesn't quite reach the heights despite all upgrades done. Further research finds some odd design & after being remedied the KA6000 is without the slight fizzy bright edge it had before. Previously it brought facial expressions but now it is very clean & with the extra 45w power to the AA7000, rated upto 70w in HFN tests, the sound is certainly very rich & punchy with that razor precise clean treble that is the essence of Top Hifi. But remember ours is fully rebuilt & upgraded, the raw amp is still Very Good but there is much potential in this amp. Tone Mode switched on or off makes no difference to the sound, if may as all-original. 2016-17 slight update: We keep this amp as a reference if it doesn't get used on the speakers often, as it still has the 2-core mains & using TV only there is no real earth, but comparing to the TK-140X again it's very close in sound, see the TK-140X update for more. After trying the TK-140X on speakers, the KA-6000 got more upgrades & now it betters the Sony TA-1120 (1965) if a similar sound, the KA-6000 is fresher sounding. One of the Best 1960s amps, if ours has a lot of work done to find out how good it is. The strange input circuit that is altered on the Power Amp board on working it out, it'll have been a severe "T" bass filter much like Sansui AU-999 uses, but no need for it as it messes the sound so it never got used even on the very earliest black inner floor ones. KA 6000 + TK 140X Pre-Power swap. Using the in-out sockets to see which sounds the best. After trying all 4 combinations, the 140 is brighter on treble, if the 6000 is richer and seems better balanced-more detailed, if duller than the 140 & preamp gain slightly less, -1 on treble on the 140 matches better, if the 6000 is better on detail. The power amps differ if each is better into itself than the other, the 6000 punchy sound isn't revealed by the 140. Retry 140 pre & 6000 power with -1 treble shows the 6000 is the superior, if in reality both are top quality. But we're not happy with that so upgrade our KA-6000 further to sound the same. Early Trio-Kenwood Amplifier Adjustments. The circuit manual which is findable now says set VR3/4 to mid point voltage. Bias is VR5/6. Protection is VR1/2. Other early ones will be similar. The 'Test Plug' routine is not one we'd use, they suggest you unplug it & use a variac to bring the voltage to test, sounds a bad idea to us as even they warn of current surges. Compare an Upgraded 1972 KA-6004 to a much upgraded KA-6000. See the KA-6004 review. BUY-RAW RATING: Beware some are 110-120v only, see our Gallery to show the multivoltage ones with the rear voltage switch. Good though needs a good Service, note the amp needs the rear Pre Out-In links to work. COOL RATING: 9 very classy looking amp, needs the side cheeks, has pink lights & way cool too with the matching tuner. (2014)

1970 Akai AA-8500 receiver↑AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Recommended. UPGRADED: Excellent. 65w.CC, PARA. This is an unusual looking "85w music power" receiver amp in the 1972 Hifi Year Book for £230. Actually 65w into 8 ohms rated power. A bigger size amp than you'd expect, 488mm wide, 370mm deep & 184mm high, this is top quality build for 1970 just before amps went semi-complimentary & the cost cutting started. None of that here. The tuner display is an internal drum that is backlit if that part looks like our 1932 Pye G/GR gram, nothing is new. Sliders for Tone & balance if the rest is rotaries or buttons. 65w for 1970 is unusual & it uses doubled output transistors to get the extra wattage, originally the transistors were only 50w ones & the only other pre semi-complimentary amp we've had with doubled outputs is the Sony TA-1120(A) from 1965-67 & it does add an extra confidence to the sound. Ours is aged & tired sounding but as with these early amps, we just about rebuild them & they do very well as this page shows, but to do it properly is still a huge job that most don't consider first & the circuit needs learning to do that right. Has two speaker pairs for outputs, but one is via 6.3mm jacks which may be useful in a DJ set up of old, but could be a problem if not understood. A Remote Control socket is on the rear, but all it actually does via the 2 pins is mute the output as does the front button, not RC as we know it. This is a hard amp to find, we've seen a couple before but missing fascia parts & even playing ours serviced if original the sound seems to be another one of those hidden great amps if volume goes way past half so it needs a rebuild, but certainly is worth it. On our 'Other Amps' page we're not too keen on later Akai who became a budget brand very quickly, but this AA-8500 is their top one & others 1966-70 are high quality. The 1970 brochure on HFE shows a very high end brand with very early Video & Tape gear as well as the 8500. To clean & upgrade isn't all it needs, the tuner & meter lights can need rebuilding with available bulbs. Another issue is the sliders, explaining why they are often missing, they have a spring loosely fitted easy to lose. The Mains Switch has a live mains point on the exposed edge so easy to touch with the lid off so we have to add safety here too. The relay near the tuner inside is for the Audio Mute stage. The midrange accuracy on this is a bit special, rivaling the early Germanium amps for clarity. Deep clean bass, fast grain-free treble with impressive dynamics & transient response to give it a certain kick that pleases. Now all upgraded, the sound is certainly one of the cleanest amps we've had, very precise, not the most bassy** or powerful & volume needs turning past midway on headphones if we'll try it on speakers next to see how loud it plays as the headphone needed altering which we did. Top quality amp for sure & this for the quality does better quite a few & is certainly on the higher end of 'Excellent' as we have it. for those who like to use Monster Receiver, this certainly is one of the first, it's about the size of the Pioneer SX-950. Having done the max clean sine test, for 65w it only puts out 28v like a 50w amp, so it has extra current for the doubled output transistors which does give more confidence on heavy transients if in a more musical way than later amps. Overall a great amp & surprising early Akai are this good, the build quality is up there with Sony & the others, nothing midprice here. REVISIT 2018: See the Jul-Aug 2018 blogs for more, this is the Best Akai amplifier, but not as Original. After liking the Akai AA-5800 amplifier for the design if not the midprice casework, fate has it we get another of these. Unlike the last one which needed a lot to tidy it, this one is a one-owner crisp grade one that looks New underneath, no aging at all & just typical dust in the top & never opened. Electrically it works fine if transistor hiss on one channel as typical. The Parallel Outputs with a set of 8 transistors is one of the few amps before 1975 to have this. Brings extra current & the amp sounds more weighty on speakers. It really does please to get a high grade amp after knowing a more used one. Wood case lets dust in so the tuner drum gets dusty. As unserviced the usual noisy controls & vagueness in use. For the hissy transistors, this may not please a buyer expecting Plug & Play, but reality hits as it's 48 years old & amps like this are best for us as we can sort these issues. Great looking amp too, we even rated the previous one highly despite the condition. Size is unusually large, the first of the Monster receivers as bigger than the Sony STR-6120. The Power amp gets a bizarre typo saying "0.77mV" if it's a 0.77v input, much like the standard 1v input. The Sound as Original actually isn't going to impress you, Volume needs setting midway & the quality really isn't here at all, but we look at it as an Upgrade Challenge. For it to get 'Excellent' means the Good sound is in here, but the amp is dumbed down too much as original, as are other 1970-72 amps. Circuit Errors on the Power amp on R 219 is 270R not 10R & R220 is 10R not 270R are careless, the board has it right & it matches the AA-5800 design. Recapped With Upgrades. How does it compare after the 2 Marantz amps in Aug 2018? With knowing the AA-5800 to look at this one more than we did on the last one, to redo the Preamp differently brings out the quality sound in this Amp. The Doubled Outputs give an extra weight to Bass & it sounds Fresh, Lively, Fast & Punchy with wide Stereo to easily match the AA-5800, if both are so hidden by dumbing down of circuits as original. Pleased with it, Treble is as precise as the Marantz 4070 & an amp without the Midrange Dip that loses Focus. Rock Guitar is convincing with good weight yet still the detail which many amps can't do so well. Interestingly the first amp got the opinion of "not as Bassy" which was for not getting the sneaky limiters sorted, takes work this advanced upgrading if not expecting it, to since find other amps like this. Now Sounds as good as it Looks, which is why we revisit amps we think could be better. Quite a job to redo it & lose the hissy transistors. The 7 Push Buttons & 3 Sliders Covers will confuse, they have a loose spring bit inside so careful when taking them off not to lose it, but how do you fit it back? Note the wider groove part for the switch post & the spring bit fits in the narrower bit, but the open end of the spring with the slanted end is what the switch pole grips onto, not the other way & it doesn't go in the middle of the open bit. Also the three smaller rotary controls have the shorter bit facing up, one of those amps that isn't quite as obvious & why the buttons are sometimes missing. On Speakers it reveals the Parallel Output-Doubled Transistors, a rich punchy sound which is not often heard with amplifiers. Matches well to the 1968 Tannoys, if to remember the Spring Connectors that are fine to keep, we'd not replace those, to select Speakers B as the A set is the non-standard 6.3mm Mono Jack socket. Looks very smart sat on wood furniture, one of the Best Looking Receivers. But Another Time Perhaps... The thing with getting amps we like & telling we have one is that they want it, so we couldn't spend 6 months trying to perfect the amp as was the intention after finding the AA-5800 so good. The design is too heavy on NFB in two places if to unravel that is one for another time. Too much gain to use High NFB doesn't give the best sound, it's not a Sweet Sound like some amps can bring & on speakers it sounded good but a flatter sound for the NFB. Not an easy amp to find as ebay shows. BUY-RAW RATING: Powerful amps get partied hearty & our first one needed a lot rebuilt, one sometimes found missing the slider buttons. A 2018 revisit found a high grade one if transistor hiss means it needs work. Care needed as the Mains Switch has exposed wires right on the left side with the lid off. REBUILD RATING: Advanced as it needs a proper Upgrade to bring out it's best or you'll not think it's much good. COOL RATING: 9 a big impressive classy amp with a nice tuner style if the sliders on Tone & Balance may just make it a little less easy to use. Uprated from '8' on seeing a higher grade example. (2015-2018)

1970 Goodmans Module 80 receiver↑
AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Very Good. UPGRADED (slightly): Very Good-Excellent. 25w.CC. UK made midprice amp, £95 in 1973 was a keen buy, but with a good honest sound that is above it's price range. It appears to be the most upgradeable of the pre Differential era UK made amplifiers. Read on. It'll always need recapping as the same poor black plastic caps as the Leak Delta 75 has, but it's an easier amp than the LD75. Lots of potential to upgrade up it's clean if slightly raw typical British sound if you fancy a challenge & know what to upgrade, ie most of it. We recapped one recently as we had one years ago, just to see what it was like. Only minus is DIN connectors for all. again it stood out as a good amp in 2012, we have considered getting one to upgrade even more, but it's just an amp that sells cheaply today & even sounding Excellent it'd be a hard sell. REVISITED 2016: It seems the First Amps we ever used were all 1970 ones, Hacker & Philco-Ford & the sound we thought was decent in it's day. The Goodmans Module 80 is actually a 1970 one too as the rare Operating Instructions book shows "10/70" as a date. This includes the Circuit Diagram & for the usual buyer of this 35w into 4 ohms £95 item the booklets were long since gone, but the non-worker we got was in top grade, barely aged which is nice. The Specs are 35w into 4 ohms for 1% distortion 35w, for 0.1% distortion 30w. For 8 ohms the rating is 25w & 15 ohm it's 15w. Damping Factor of 40-80-150 for 4-8-15 ohm. Bulbs are Scale 6.5v 300mA & Stereo 14v 40mA. Seeing the circuit diagram shows a different one to the 1972 E&E trader one & Germaniums are in the Tuner: 2 transistors & 4 Diodes. Phono x2 transistors, Preamp x2, Buffer stage for Loudness is x1, Passive Tone plus 1 transistor as gain. Power amp is 6 transistors of good basic design if a Diode on a driver emitter is strange. Capacitor coupled outputs are the ones on the left side. HT is +56v. There are obvious limiters in the amp plus a lack of "tuning" in the circuit, so it did sound basically 'clean' on recapping the one in 2012 but there was roughness to the sound as no finesse in the circuit. The strange 'box' shaped resistors are a unique version of a carbon composition resistor that only Goodmans used, they save space & avoid on-end resistor wires touching, but once knocked the legs come loose & need replacing, many here aren't even soldered in straight. The two power capacitors are both "C88" doubling the value as size limitations in 1970 & oddly it runs on a negative voltage. In basic terms, no less of an amp than Japanese ones, if their flair adding 'finesse' as well as better spec goes by the wayside on UK amps. Would it be possible to make this Budget amp into one of the Top Range spec of better amps of the era? Yes it would... Having gone through the design Phono to Output, the design is basically very good, but limiters & especially on bass, with some noticeable dumbing down to make it sound less than the decent circuit it could be if perfected. The Mullard stripy film caps & the odd resistors are good to keep, if ceramics have no place in audio stages. The Sony STR6850 below was a similar sized amp but despite the sound being very decent there were poor design issues. The Goodmans is a better design in many ways. Having recapped it to hear it for the first time & for all the Japan & USA amps we've had, this amp does surprisingly well for the fresh clean sound. Bass is much limited if the design is a good one as suspected. It's tempting to fully rebuild the odd resistors etc but it doesn't really need it & this one is barely used. We've upped the ratings as it is equal of any Japanese amp & betters some, if once recapped, as original it's too aged on the capacitors to risk trying it raw, some you see sold as 'serviced' are on the bad original TV grade caps so will fail as in go 'bang'. Playing it as we type, a very musical amp & once upgraded-recapped it's a bit of a sleeper for the sound quality. On Rock it copes well giving a solid weighty sound that not many under 40w amps can. Bass is limited in the design if it sounds decent without sounding lumpy, to upgrade further into 'our spec' risks getting caught by the 25w. The Quality Of Sound is way ahead of the Leak 2000 we had recently, it was nowhere as 'hi-fi' sounding as this. The Module 90 wasn't so well made but sounded good, if the styling was ghastly & the later Goodmans 110, 120 & 150 aren't so great & sadly are of later 'differential' designs. Ours has a low 3500 series serial, others seen with 16000 & 20500 serial, it could be the earlier one has the best sound as often UK manufacturers altered designs as the E&ET circuit shows, The early one hasn't got R121-122, has single tapped volume, R206 is 15 ohm not 47 ohm & C71 as 1000pf, all unimporrtant so all will rate similarly. The small output transistors are of 115w spec. On checking the output readings, clipping was uneven & at best 18v clean sine which seems low for 25w. Is it worth a rebuild with much upgrading? Of the 'CC' era UK amps, we've found this amp to be The Only One worthy to 'max out' upgrade. All others Leak, Rogers, Radford & Sugden use annoying Axial caps so what else is there before the less-good differential era begins? Armstrong are rubbish, Ferrograph too basic, Leak Delta 75 is too unreliable, if the one pictured was a success, others failed so that's it. BUT IT CAN'T BE MAXED OUT... For all our experimental upgrading, putting good ideas onto this, the amp sadly is no better than it ought to be: it is Budget Crap. Upgrades that make Japanese & USA amps sing turned this junk into an unstable joke. We can't sell this with issues that are laughable, never had an amp upgrade to reveal how bad the design is. We thought it looked good on paper, the Tuner & Preamp are decent, but the Power Amp is OK amid it's own spec, it plays music fine but is ridiculously noisy & unstable with what should sound fine. Even putting much back to as original spec it was still hopeless. All we can try we tried. it reveals too many weaknesses & it's why it has such low spec to hide the badness. We try these to see what can be upgraded & not. Upgrade this with recapping & some improvements, but to go to max it out levels has it play music nicely until you try to use it more. This is a big Nail in the British Hifi Coffin for us, if it succeeded maybe we'd try a Leak or Rogers, but sadly Budget gear is Budget made & we'll reuse the new parts elsewhere. The Moral is if it's Budget Junk, that's all it'll ever be. British Hifi is designed to be far less upgradeable than Japanese & USA which really do well for our upgrades. BUY-RAW RATING: The black capacitors & the one on the TX must be replaced as they are always bad or failing, so buy with care, else it'll go bang. The main caps may be bad too, if not always. COOL RATING: 6 only very basic looks with no real style but not ugly. But a Top Grade one always looks much nicer than aged worn ones. (2012-16)

1970-74 Hacker GAR500, GAR550 receiver-gram↑AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Recommended. UPGRADED: Very Good. 10-14w.CC. The 10w Centurion 500 series was introduced in 1970 with a silver fascia & teak lid, a tunerless 500 version at the same time as the GAR 500 with the Garrard SP25 Mk III turntable & also the Tribune GAR1000A with 10w class A in a double width unit with a Goldring Lenco turntable. Later ones had a black fascia & the GAR 550 was an updated 14w version if still basically the same if later ones had a superior SP25 Mk IV without the Mk III's rumble. Usually seen with the teak lid, the smoked perspex version one we preferred on seeing the teak lid one. A basic but pretty acceptable UK made receiver of 10-14w with a turntable & FM only tuner, so a record player system really. It deserves it's rating if used with good speakers, not the basic supplied Hacker ones. We recapped our GAR 550 to the max as we had one in 1986, but the odd Line level it worked on based on old DIN socket tape spec meant it just wasn't capable without redesign. The DIN tape socket suited 1970s tape recorders with a DIN lead but by the 1980s DIN was generally long gone so the volume on recording to tape was too low. Recapped & improved it rates towards a Very Good for the sort of item it is: a nice compact record player system. As with most music centre type units, the better ones will have the Retro Sound but are only a starter unit or a second hifi. We tested this on the M20 headphones, the original Hacker Speakers plus Tannoy Sixes, for it's 14w rating it's not quite 'Very Good' as original but worthy of 'Very Good' as upgraded. The speakers with earlier ones were Hacker LS1500 as 8 or 15 ohm & the later ones usually with the perspex lid had LS550 speakers, these had a contoured foam front but will have crumbled to dust by now leaving just the frame as ebay listings show. There was a GAR 600 still using the same basic design in the last few years before Hacker closed. Hacker better known for their Portable Radios & 1964 era record players with an add-on Stereo speaker. The only problem with Hacker tuners is they only go to 101 on the FM dial, not the full 87.5-108 MHz losing the local FM stations added since the 1990s. BUY-RAW RATING: Good. Turntable may need oiling as often seized. COOL RATING: 7 looks best with the smoky perspex lid, the teak lid dips it to 6, a confident looking unit. (2012)

1970 KLH Model Fifty Two 52 receiver↑
AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Very Good. UPGRADED: Excellent. 30w.SC, CC. Another KLH after the 27 from 1966 we review above & the 52 follows the 51 which we've not had. USA design made in Japan if still looks kooky like the KLH 27 does. The service manual says 1972 but this has to be 1970 for Capacitor Coupling & has the same output transistors as the Nikko TRM-1200 below. The wood top lid is a typical vinyl wrap with screening tape inside which few amps have with non metal lids. UK-EU 220v model, not multivoltage & must be for some EU countries so for the USA models not selling well, the 220v one is a bit of a rarity, as are 1960s 220v Fisher amps. Still has the quality build for 1970 with kooky things like the main diodes have an inductive loop in them and as many as 9 separate PCBs. The maker's check label has 'aging test' probably many hours running in. A smart fascia with attention to detail. The back has all Phono inputs & those annoying screw connectors only good for fork connectors crimped to cable, if the Remote speaker pair is via Phono plugs. A known problem with this amp is the weak volume-mounted power switch which we need to deal with too, as is found with vintage hifi, ours was owned by a moron which takes more work to deal with. As with the Nikko below, a later amp between the second & third hifi generation but with pleasing attention to detail that we do like to see. A quick play to see if it works reveals a typical 'long asleep' sound but clearly a fresh sounding amp with a fuller bass than some amps. the original power switch is a feeble thing ALPS 'Snap Switch H76' says one source & seeing pictures it's probably pretty useless & how it even works isn't clear. The only option is to put a switch on the rear & do it properly, unlike the suicidal previous owner... Trying it again after the USA Fisher amps, the sound after waking it up before, is actually not so far off the Fisher 440-T if a better bass & more detail with a wide stereo image, if the typical USA headphone L+R swap. On Rock it has a clean solid sound on guitar riffs if not quite the bass weight we can upgrade. The service manual is very detailed revealing good design if still a kooky built amp like the KLH 27 above. The power amp board is only 4" x 3" with the bigger resistors hard wired by the transistors, the Phono stage is under the left rear cover in the top & the Tone is right at the front underneath & must be the first one with a FET predating the Sony TA-1130. On Tannoy Golds for an all-original amp this certainly impressed, being a good compare with the 1966 Akai AA-7000 & 1970 Nikko TRM-1200 below. To use Speakers, leave the buttons out, if push in to turn off rather than on. As upgraded, it has a clean accurate sound that is deserving of the rating playing with good volume for 30w on speakers. BUY-RAW RATING: The weak Power switch is a known failure else good. COOL RATING: 6.5 a mix of classy control knobs if the vinyl wrap lid loses appeal. (2015)

1970 Nikko TRM-1200 amplifier↑AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Recommended-Very Good. UPGRADED: Excellent. 40w.SC, Transformer Coupled. We're always interested in amps we've not tried & to try a Nikko again from how decent the other TRM-500 was. Seems to be an updated version of the 1967 Nikko TRM-120. Very cute amp, very smart looking with the delightful fussy Japanese attention to detail that set the pace in the Hifi race. "Nikko 1200 Module Stereo Pre-Amp Power Amplifier" it proudly says, to us it's an integrated amp. Similar lever switches to the 1969 Trio-Kenwood KA-6000 & VU level meters. Separate L+R tone controls & Tone Flat show the quality on the front. The rear has their odd mains holding device, if it's not the tighest fit. On the back ample inputs & 2 speaker pairs. This needs Pre-Out to Main-In connectors are the short Phono plugs like the Sony TA-1120 uses. 260W (260VA) rated if the mains transformer seems small & it's multivoltage. The Mains plug & socket is not good as the plug one was puts a high AC potential on the case like other amps, so we fitted a 3-core mains cable to make a better amp for use today. Circuit breakers similar to on the JVC MCA 104E is unusual. Inside a fussy delight too with the Input selector & Phono board caged & one around the Output Transistors. The Service Manual is very detailed if whoever scanned it missed the chance to enhance the dark images. Interestingly for a 1970 amp this is Transformer Coupled like the 1965-67 amps above, a toroidal 'doughnut' inside next to the relay. The design has hot resistors under the output transistors cage upto 80°C in open air. Certainly a cute amp if it sounds clean as the early circuits are. No bias pots on these 1966 style designs as the Akai AA7000 is similar. The design is minimalist like the 1966 amps, Phono is custom IC, looks more like a 250v film capacitor 'Nikko HB18005' which is 2 transistors, 6 resistors & a small pf value capacitor if what the values are inside isn't shown. If yours doesn't work a Nikko bulletin was issued stating how to make it out of transistors & seems we'll have to: we built ours in the IC holes, the board they suggest is too big, works fine now. Pre-Tone x3 transistors, Power amp is x3 if 2 are buffers & the push-pull pair after the transformer. A relay of non-standard type, the transformer coupling & certain parts look more 1967. 3300µf 35v Elna main caps. Some with white-yellowy meters & others with blue, it seems respected online as we found with our other Nikko a few years back. Looking at the circuit, the 'TTF' is a nasty deep bass filter that has no place with us, explaining the bass-light sound. Seen this in the Sansui AU-999 & NAD 160a, sadly to sell good amps to those with rumbly turntables, the bane of Hifi & what our upgrades always undo & no buyer of our amps has complained of too much bass. Tone flat switch bypasses the Tone. 2SC889s are 50w rated. Unusual to be transformer coupled as do 1970 Nikko STA-501S with 18w has transformers as does 14w Nikko TRM40B from 1966. The BBC3 "10cc story" showed this amp in their studio. A strange feature is "Speaker Compensator" which isn't quite what it seems as it's in the preamp not the output like the Sony STR6120 is. The 'Tone Flat' bypasses the Tone stage totally & the increase in fidelity in our upgraded version is noticeable if subtle. Our rating shows this amp has low spec & limitations to hide the excellence of this design. Once upgraded, on headphones it's more a detailed amp than a rich bassy one, very clean & precise. Trying it on the Tannoy Golds, the sound is very impressive. All upgraded-recapped except the two main caps, on headphones it's very clean if a little lean aka neutral, but on speakers the tight deep bass really comes alive & unsurprisingly is very similar to the Akai AA7000. Getting this finished at the same time as the KLH 52 above, the amps for our spec are similar in some ways, if the Nikko is far more Neutral than the KLH which is more bassy, the Nikko has neutral precision on the midrange giving more detail. It reminds us of the 1984 Sansui AU-G90X & trying it there are similarities in the sound if the 90X has a different bass, so to play it a bit & compare back & beyond the 40w to 130w power rating, the Nikko is exceedingly good. But comparing amps as with the KLH 52 above, the Nikko doesn't quite have enough volume for 40w. The pointless Bass Boost switch on the back together with the cynical Bass Cut circuit shows Nikko are dumbing this amp down, so we will remove extraneous circuitry & if means no rear switch, who needs it. We've already got rid of their lousy mains plug. Some amps we know should be better than they are & have the nerve to go further & often get excellent results. Original if bad is fair game to replace & do properly if subtle. Some redesign later the volume is far better. Bass is tight here but goes very deep as the Sansui AU-G90X does which is why we try more. On reading through the HFN mags by year, a Nikko TRM-120 exists from 1967 that appears very similar to this, for the transformer coupling it likely is an earlier version of this, if the TRM-1200 is different on the outside, but no manual of the 120 to see. BUY-RAW RATING: Good if check the Phono works as the IC was obsolete by 1976. COOL RATING: 7 classy fascia if no wood case loses a higher rating. (2015)

1970 Philco-Ford M1550 amplifier↑
AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Recommended. UPGRADED: Not Worthy. 12w.CC. The Roots of select45rpm Hifi: The First Amp we ever used as it was the parents one for several years & the sound is actually with many qualities of amps rated higher with a fresh open sound. It's only a budget amp though it looks nice though is quite small & like things you knew as a kid, surprising how small it is to adult you. Ceramics upgraded tidies the sound & a punchy sound is here. As only 12w it's appeal will be limited & you'll never find one, but it's worthy of including as it has a good sound. Minuses are DIN connectors & only 12w that gives harmonics & hum a bit too easily on treble, this is actually the low spec power supply. Also the power switch is awful as it fails & to awkwardly fit a different type is the only option, our family one was away for ages getting a new one & the first we got back had the same issue. REVISITED: We got another one of these in wanting to see what the Phono stage was like, good power switch at last. It was the first Hifi we ever used & using a Garrard SP25 Mk III & Goldring G800 was the deal. As this is over 45 years old now, age becometh & to find someone replaced the 1A left fuse at the back, the other near the mains cable is just 250mA, the wires were just twisted, not soldered. That's not very good. As we had to 'part' the other one got the original fuse to refit. Early on, we used to type the horrors we found with amps, here we've found another in the Plug, E wire cut, L + N swapped, 13A fuse fitted. In need of a service but working, it's not exactly Hifi yet but far from junk either ignoring inputs only working R channel on Tuner & L channel only on Tape, the sound is pleasing. The Service Manual is buyable & seeing the circuit,. small as it is, has quality to it, why not see why it sounded good to teenaged us. To hear how it sounds on the Tannoys too, good to revisit good things of the past, however modest they were. Once serviced with a little extra work the sound in Stereo is noticeably fizzy for the ceramics in the amp if hearing beyond that the sound is otherwise clean. The design isn't bad but the spec is low & a bit of a low hum. Hearing the open & rich sound of this, if far from having the fidelity we require, it really does show this little 12w amp did please the teen typist playing it for hours long ago. Don't forget your Roots, this amp is ours & it still sounds good. Sadly no service manual, the one online is an error they said. But the design on going to recap-upgrade is still a "proper" Hifi amp with Tone & Push-Pull outputs, capacitor coupled. The main cap is only 2000µf if JVC still used this value on their early ones. To see the design would be interesting, if the whole Preamp, Power Amp & Power Supply is on one 277mm x 63mm board, it says "Made in Taiwan" so it's not the usual UK low powered junk quality, so well worth giving the full recap-upgrade treatment. Unfortunately with no Circuit it's hard to tell the circuit, on recap-upgrade it reveals a very imbalanced sound, bass is good in a 'retro' way, midrange sounds recessed as treble is excessive. Not so much the fault of the power amp which looked good for us to try to upgrade, but sadly the inputs-preamp stage is rubbish, signal goes through a high value resistor & is then messed with via the Phono EQ circuit that all inputs share. The circuit is useless as there is no direct input, it was matched to other Philco gear which is why the speakers sounded clear, as excess treble in the amp. Explains why it got hum problems on loud treble, it must be over 10dB inbalanced at about 5KHz. Unless the lousy input circuit can be bypassed direct to a selector button, this amp isn't even sellable for the awful incorrect sound. We dare to try on budget gear & it lets us down. Sadly this amp is only good enough to use "as is" on budget speakers, after all it's what it is, made to sound good amid it's own components, a trick modern brands of undeserved repute still do. Once upgraded it reveals how awful the inputs board is, as well as that not working right for the inputs are unreliable, not worth putting a bypassed input as there's no money in the amp & the new parts we added best used elsewhere. They don't all turn out Winners, but it's worth a try, but crappy is usually only crappy. This also shows why having the circuits is important as we'd not have bothered otherwise. BUY-RAW RATING: Good once serviced if the power switch is ok. COOL RATING: 6 tiny budget amp still with a nice teak case & tidy layout, it appealed to us as a teen. (2013-16)

1970 Pioneer SX-990 receiver↑
AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Recommended-Very Good. UPGRADED: Excellent. 28w.CC. This is part of the new 1970 numbering with SX-440, SX-770 & the SX-990 is the highest number so must be 1970 not 1969 if a '69' code on the tuner. £194 in 1971. The SX-1500TD from 1969 noted above is 45w & seeing this one has changed our views, as we have with Pioneer since getting the SA-9500. This is rated 35w but a confusing 'per channel' but 28w into 8 ohms for Stereo which the Jan 1971 HFN/RR review confirms & shows it was £193 to buy new which is high for a 28w receiver. Inside it looks very like the SX-1500TD to the point of exactly the same apart from the power supply board not caged & a bit smaller as well as lower HT voltage. Has a proper Mono switch. The thing with these pre 1972 Pioneers is to get ones that have not had the power amp repaired even if faulty as the board gets messy as we've found with some we've had, hard to work on too. We've not had one in over 2 years, so can look at it with upgrading eyes, as the 1500 one on the Solds page wasn't. Power amp is just 6 transistors which means it should upgrade very well. The output caps on the board like the SX-1500TD are awkward but can be bettered with care. Compared to the SX-1500TD: the Preamp exactly the same, Phono & Power Supply just 2 minor resistor changes. Power Amp basically the same if several value changes. Our view on this after not being so keen on the 1500 for bad repairs twice is we mostly like it, nicely made smaller size receiver that should upgrade well. At 28w this is the lowest power amp we've decided to fully recap, just to see how it does as well as get a taste of the SX-1500TD as it's so similar. Only recapped the Power amp board & still has the original spec elsewhere to see nearly all original sound. First try after being unused in over 40 years by the unused look inside under the dust, it sounds decent but a little raggedy if not at all rough or unlistenable as we'd expect. A very decent accurate sound if very bass light after it's long sleep though it improves on trying it a few hours later after waking it up. Sound is punchy for it's 28w & goes loud enough before flattening off, sounding as lively as similar 45-50w receivers. For this reason well worth upgrading to find out what it can do... Recapped & upgraded the lot, for the hell of trying & the fact the SX-990 is so like the SX-1500TD. Done the audio boards first mostly & it was OK but not too exciting. Later with the rest done putting some high spec into a 28w amp like it was the 45w one, it paid off. Took a little running in to waken it up & the sound was well worth the effort. For the 28w it sounds as clean & good as any 45w-50w amp with a good punchy volume if ultimately not having the higher power, the amp is certainly no compromise like later lower power ones. It could upgrade further to lose the slightly 'retro' tubby upper bass. A Very Good match to the Tannoy Golds, they are the same year after all. With the SX-838 here too the SX-990 has the fresher sound, as is typical of late 1960s transistor amps. BUY-RAW RATING: Good if power amp hasn't been badly repaired before. COOL RATING: 7 new styling to the earlier ones & the SX-1500TD if not quite the looks for higher rating. (2014)

1970 Sansui AU-101 amplifier↑
AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Recommended. UPGRADED: n/a. 15w.CC. This was the first amp we ever repaired many moons ago. At the time we had a Leak Delta 30 & thought it sounded better, but beyond that we've not had one since though they are on ebay often. Read more on the Other Amps as we looked deeper into the amp. Nice simple design with low Transistor counts: Phono x2, tone just One & Power Amp x6. For 15w the circuit will be very limited to stop it clipping too soon & based on the AU-999 it probably was quite thin sounding unlike the bassy Leak. At 15w not really worth upgrading. BUY-RAW RATING: Good. COOL RATING: 7 all black basic but looks smart. (1993)

1970 Sansui AU-999 amplifier↑
AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Recommended. UPGRADED: Very Good-Excellent. 50w.SC, DIFF. This Amp is Very Overrated & because of the "999" number it gerts offered & supposedly gets high bids based on this hype. We only rate it "Recommended" it's not Very Good as Original, it has a nasty 'T' Bass filter that ruins bass, it has loads of obsolete transistors thast can go hissy. The amp needs a big rebuild. Then it sounded good but not the best, if to our 2012 ideas on the one we last had, but for a huge amount of work to bring it up to our standard there are far better amps. Early on in our Hifi exploits, we rated as one of the cleanest sounding amps we had before getting more, but long since bettered. Could do with more bass as sound is very thin & it has a nasty Bass filter stage to limit it even more. But once upgraded losing much of the lousy spoilers a good amp with high quality sound & worth upgrading further, but for musical pleasure the Sony TA-1120A easily beat it even recapped & upgraded, getting the AU-999 sold on. It was still thin after many upgrades we done a while back on one & if we had another we may go further with it. Phono isn't as good as the earlier amps & the all-black looks a bit awkward unless the room is bright, though a wood case improves looks as does the matching tuner. For 50w the volume wasn't very high & our Power Ratings page shows the 25v clean sine output is low for the power. The AU-555 & AU-777 are earlier ones in the range if power is less. Nice amps but as we found out with ours, even upgraded, the AU-999 leaves a lot to be desired for the thin sound. Of the Sansui ones we've had the 3000A & 5000X noted above are way ahead of this one. Beware overpricing on this amp, it's a high model number but 50w (not 80w as some state) & not a very loud 50w either with issues as noted. The Sansui 3000A is way better. This is one still in it's 2012 review, prices are way too high to try it again & at the time the TA-1120A outdone it quite easily as the AU-999 still sounded thin. Some oddly old style transistors in here make it a lot to upgrade too. This has some poor components that are unusual to be using in a 1970 amp, the black dome transistors are as early as 1966. The low volume for 50w was surprising & the lack of bass. It has a lot of front panel controls that need good servicing & lots of bulbs for the input display. It's a decent amp, but there is far better out there. See the AU-666 below for similar amp & comments related to this also. If we had this in 2017 like the AU-666 no doubt it'd upgrade to 'Excellent' but we're only rating on what we thought at the time. Looking in 2018. This amp is way overpriced at £900-£1200 on ebay as of Sep 2018, ones supposedly worked on if no-one ever shows photos so to be wary of cheap parts & an an amateur job. It's a not-very-loud 50w amp from 1970 but the "999" number gets the hype. It's one that needs a huge amount done to bring it up to standard. Bass is limited through the amp & plenty of obsolete transistors in this amp make it a huge job to update as we found in 2012. Early to have a Differential, the Preamp for all the controls is complex & overdesigned for features you'd never use. TO66 pre-drivers on the amp floor are like the 1969 Trio KA-6000. Undeniably still an interesting amp & for our 2018 ideas we'd get a far better sound upgrading it, but the thing is we've been there & done that before & with the silly prices it's an amp that should be around £300 to buy as "raw", but as with quite a few amps others hype, they aren't really very good as original & need a huge job to bring up to our standards. So we'll not be too bothered to leave it be, especially seeing 'Sold' ones at £600+, who is hyping this amp? BUY-RAW RATING: Good, beware overpricing on this amp, it's not all that great really. REBUILD RATING: Needs so much redone & some redesign needed to be it's best which is a big job. COOL RATING: 8 needs the rare wood case else it looks awkward at a 6, with the case it looks very smart if all black fascia not so useful for night use & can look messy unless top grade. (2012)

1970 Sansui AU-666 amplifier↑
AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Recommended. UPGRADED: Excellent. 35w.SC, DIFF. See below for why the lower 'As-Orig' rating. The good thing about doing Upgrades is you get to work on & try amps that aren't usually found. The AU-666 is a 1970 Semi Complimentary amp, a version of the 1970 AU-999. Comparing our few pics of the AU-999 both have the same power amp board F-1159. The AU-666 has a nicer fascia, the AU-999 is too busy. Solid black anodised fascia with gold lettering & nicer control knobs than the AU-999. Midrange control & muting are early features on this & the 999. The power light is a bulb assembly if it looks like a neon. The AU-666 with it's walnut lid all in high grade visuallly is a very attractive amp. Inside is well made like the Trio KA-6000 with metal casing & shielding plates around the front preamp, the power amp boards & the rear inputs. The rear is a simplified version of the AU-999 if the AU-666 has the pre out-main in links. Sansui amps are much harder to find than the receivers, only the 15w AU-101 is findable. 220v sticker on the case suggests it was sold in the EU somewhere, the voltage adjuster is the rectangle box on the rear right outside. Here it was still set to 220v & how to alter it requires the user manual. 240v is 'red' so set the left plug to 220-240v & then set the sub plug to 'red' so 240v not 220v. Underneath has some of the same boards as the AU-999 & the groups of capacitors underneath are the harsh bass filters. Check the fuses, but a softly blown main fuse with a bit of fuse wire wrapped around it & one output fuse softly blown too. Unserviced amp probably untouched in decades as the strange dead bug cases that came out of the underneath. Old gear needs a proper check before using. This arrived the same day as the 16w Yamaha CR-400, so how does this sound? Does play but in need of a service as rough on the controls. The owner says bass is lacking, the bass filter & design suggest bass will be light, if it has a rich sound there is that sort of limited retro bass rather than the deeper bass the 16w Yamaha played, but despite the limiting it doesn't sound thin on headphones. It does have a punchy fresh neutral sound if it is a bit lacking in focus & confidence. The receivers Sansui 4000 & Sansui 5000X have poor Aux inputs, 100k & 150k resistors to Phono then gain increased again, a lazy idea that spoils those amps, if you can use Tape In. The AU-666 does Aux correctly, bypassing Phono & straight to the Preamp-Tone. The sound as original is still decent, it copes with Rock well if it's a 35w amp the sound is 'contained' to cope, if not sound too exciting or weighty. It's certainly a great amp & the 4000/5000 receivers were enjoyed if the amp in this case is the better item. Some brands are better on receivers, some on amps. At 35w it has potential to upgrade to something more confident, if keeping it within itself, volume past 5 as on the AU-999 does start to flatten off. On our 15" Tannoys it sounds clean, but the false limited bass really lets it down, a thick unnatural 'ringing' as bass-limiting brings makes it not a nice listen, didn't Sansui play it after they dumbed it down? We've found this with other bass-limited amps, but once upgraded they sound sweet & naturally extended bass, losing that awful 'retro bass' honky sound. Playing the 16w CR-400 again after to compare the sound, the Yamaha has a more dynamic sound & deeper bass, the AU-666 is more polite in it's sound, the CR-400 is much wider on Stereo also if not as smooth as the AU-666. Neither are serviced yet. The AU-999 we had 5 years before, it was in need of a lot to tidy it up, we found the Sony TA-1120A better at the time. Great looking amp with high upgrade potential. The similar Sansui AU-555, 25w AU-555A version of this gets a review in the May 1972 HFN/RR, if the wrong photo/wrong model number shown. A pretty hopeless review if ever, which one do they 'review' if they do seem to be harsh on Japanese amps in ones we've read reviews of & know too. AU-555 is 20w RMS, if the review gets that wrong & criticises as they read 21w. They must have the earlier AU-555 then, huh? Not a good Aux design on the AU-555 with the large resistors to cut to Phono stage & boost up again. The AU 555A is different. Some limiting design to sigh at on both if none of the harsh T-filter that makes the AU-666 have poor honky bass on speakers, the AU-999 has this too. Looking at the amp to upgrade, it seems odd to see 'silver line' 10% tolerance resistors & those 1966 style early transistors we've seen in other earlier amps, the black dome XA 495G & CDC-8002 & CDC-9002 type you'll not find any info on. The Sansui 4000 & 5000 power amps similarly strange compared to other brands. The 2SC281 on the heatsink is a c1967 very early TO1 silicon, many in the TO1 size are Germanium. Sansui clearly using old stock transistors on the AU-666 & AU-999. The first stage of the power amp is a Differential. The preamp stage is amusing, undo 2 screws & unplug a 9 pin valve type connector & it's free. a reliable way to connect a board instead of lots of soldered wires. On upgrading, the circuit sadly is very dumbed down, a pity as it's so well made. But that's what we're here for, to bring it alive. Power amps & Tone-Pre done the sound is far more what we want from amps, the volume & focus is way improved & it has a fresh swagger to the sound that was a little unexpected for the vagueness heard before & seeing differentials as well as knowing the AU-999. Still not done anything else so more improvement to come, if the main changes done bring a solid precise sound. We've not had a 1969-71 era Sansui for a few years & hearing the quality here. The AU-666 series was replaced by 1974 with the AU-7500 & 9500 series, the Sansui amplifiers are harder to find than the Receivers, if the brand did end up in the Discount shops by 1972 so we've yet to try those if know how cost-cut the 160w G-8700 1979 receiver was. Now upgraded, this certainly has a quality sound, a solid weighty sound with detailed crisp treble & a rich bass if not going too far with it as 35w, but a sound not usually in below 40w amps. The owner says he plays a lot of Reggae, well so do we to test amps. The solid precise dynamic sound with good bass weight & ability to resolve muddy tracks well is what makes the best amps & so does this AU-666, but only once upgraded. To resolve dense Ska tracks well is beyond many amps, this does it very well if the power limitations keep it back a little, if at 35w you're not going to get it all. On Rock it has the clarity to deliver Hard Guitar riffs with confidence. The only trouble with the amp sounding this good is you'll crank it up too loud as it sounds great & get into distortion unless you have high sensitivity 95dB 15" speakers. Now to test it on Loudspeakers... we'd just been watching TV with a 70w upgraded amp so this had a slightly cruel compare as it's a 35w one. But no worries on that count. The big problem as original was the dismal lumpy bass, gone now upgraded with redesign it sounds great, a natural deep bass with good weight if none of the fake bass retro sound. Stereo was wide & the amp sounded good. Treble tone gain was a bit lacking on headphones & speakers as designed, the specs say a huge ±15dB which clearly isn't what we heard, more like ±6dB. But the clean natural & neutral sound played flat is the strength of this amp, pity Sansui didn't do a higher power version than the 50w AU-999, the 1974 Sansui range had the AU-9500 at 80w, see the Blog page. The owner receiving back his upgraded amp had a great few days rediscovering his Record Collection. What you are missing in sound by not upgrading amps... BUY-RAW RATING: Good if thick lumpy bass as-designed will disappoint. COOL RATING: 8 black fascia with gold lettering & not as busy as the AU-999 makes it a Classic styled amp. (2017)

1970 Scan-Dyna 3000 receiver↑AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Average-Hopeless. UPGRADED: n/a. 30w.
Dynaco related EU crap sadly, first seen advertised late 1969. Looked interesting, but an amp we hated by the end of it, crappy cheap construction, almost impossible to get to the power amp board even to clean, crappy cheap controls, volume worn out, sound was hard to tell as made so badly & not working right. Unworkable on as so badly designed. We wrote it sounded rough too when we wrote of it originally. So don't bother buying is our opinion. We rated this as junk for the awful construction, it might do better if a high grade one, but it's an amp to be wary of still. For the Dynaco related name it just wasn't very good. BUY-RAW RATING: Risky if volume control isn't good, else should be ok. COOL RATING: 6 we got this as it looked rather decent, but the rest of the review shows it's not worth bothering with. (2012)

1970 Sony STR-6850 receiver↑
AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Very Good. UPGRADED: Very Good-Excellent. 40w (not 30w).CC. This is basically the 45w 1969 STR-6050 receiver updated, not that the STR-6050 will compare directly, so see above as we have one to try. The 6850 has Aux direct, unlike the 6050. But the build quality here is not so good as the STR-6050, the power supply being mixed with the switch board is just not very good, if the preamp & power amp are basically the same as the STR-6050, the Phono is on the Tuner board. This has all DIN inputs & speaker outs as per the EU scene if these are adequate if not so popular. One of the sometimes rare 1970-71 exotic range that included the big TA-2000F & TA-3120 pre-power amps, the tiny TA-88 amp & ST-80F tuner that did sell as well as amps for multichannel & the B&W made Sony SS-7000 huge speaker that's only 25w, but most of these were sales failures as by 1973 Sony cheaped out for the mass market as well as making more general audio goods. The June 1970 Hifi News shows there was a Sony shop in London, yet the pre 1972 Sony aren't easy to find. The STR-6850 is a very rare receiver you'll find very little online. It's a EU style receiver with FM, MW, LW & SW even that's 61cm wide & clearly of the quality of other better 1970-71 Sony also the Tuner has no ICs. The styling of this is unique for a Sony & it's so retro cool it hurts, having a metal fascia with perspex window. Amps like this should be in design museums as just so of their era. All DIN connectors as it was styled 'The Europe' on one flyer but it looks a bit too well made & pricy to compete with other EU type receivers. The last Sony capacitor coupled so a 1970 design with 2SD316 transistors that are 63w rated so no cheaping out here. It already sounds more refined than the 40w TA-1140 if 30w seems a modest rating for the volume & improves quite noticeably after servicing. Still has the STR-6120 quality with the mica capacitors not ceramics, expectedly limited on deeper bass if not thin, biasing tightens the sound further & once run in sounds quite like the STR-6120 does as raw. 84v & 48v HT is very high for a supposed 30w as well as clean sine going to almost 28v the same as the 40w TA-1140. Sony were deliberately underselling this higher spec amp to match the 30w B+O Beomaster 3000 as the service manual still states 30w & looking at the circuit reveals what they done to limit it to 30w not the 40w it should be. Also suggests 50mV bias as with the TA-1140 this is way too high & blurs the sound. This amp is so rare you'll never find it sadly, but the STR-6055 preamp is quite similar if the power amps is semi-complimentary. The STR-6065 is less similar. As upgraded it delivers a quality sound way beyond what it was designed to be sold as. Music is cleaner than the STR-6120, based on both being original, if the 6120 upgrades further. The STR-6050 power amp is exactly the same except C707 if updated with later transistors. The Preamps match too if the Phono stage & Power supply are different. Talk about recycling, though the STR-6050 still strangely rates it 30w. Not to be confused with the flap-fronted STR-6060FW. BUY-RAW RATING: Good if unfindable as it's the rarest Sony receiver. COOL RATING: 7 big EU receiver size looks very retro, very stylish if not classy enough to score higher. (2014)

1971 Hitachi IA-1000 amplifier ↑AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Very Good. UPGRADED: Excellent. 45w.CC. We certainly liked the Hitachi SR-1100 receiver below & to try the slightly earlier amplifier version has been a requirement for a while. Hard to find these amps, sales must have been very low if the quality is high. A 1971 45w amp with the service manual is findable. We found a Hitachi flyer in the May 1973 HFN/RR & it shows the IA-1000 is 45w & the SR-1100 is 55w, see the SR-1100 below for year dating. 2x very basic ICs is the same as the SR-1100 we had with the IC in the Phono (Equaliser) stage though it has a MC Phono stage pre the MM stage with transistors, the Tone & Preamp is all Transistors: Tone x4, Power Amp x9. Still a Capacitor Coupled design though ignoring the Phono it should still be a good sounding amp. Pity they couldn't add the transistors not the IC. IC is FA-6001T totally unfindable, though the SR-1100 shows the circuit equivalent & you can see the transistors inside it even. They call Capacitor Coupled "Sub Complimentary" as it's 2x NPN transistors, we'll still use Capacitor Coupled as it's clearer what it means. A lower powered 27w IA-600 exists too with similar looks to the receiver we had in this range. It has an odd amount of resistors on the Aux input like the SR-1100 did, though it can be altered to be as good as it too & it has output meters which is unusual on an amp this early. On getting a nice one, it's a heavy amp if the lid counts for an amount of that. Decent Phono sockets & Marantz type spring sockets, Big blanking plate covers 3x USA flat plug mains outlets & the small box with the serial number has the voltage changer. Nicely laid out front with Green-Blue meters which is very unusual this early, only McIntosh had meters on their power amps. We have the Pioneer SA-9100 here from 1973 & you can see it copies this quite a lot. Style is very like the SR-1100 if no Hitachi circle logo & dark wood veneer sides. Inside the same plug in amp boards as the SR-1100 has if the heatsink is inside as more space if both units are the same size, the tone-pre board is a plugin, the receiver looks very cramped on seeing this, if the main power caps is just one at 2200µf 100v, the other 2 are the speaker output caps. As this has MM & MC phono, again unusual for 1971, it's under a can lid with a MC board into the MM one which has the FA6001 ICs, but so basic you can see the shape of the transistor inside plus 7 resistors of precise values for their design, not some bought-in op-amp of today. There are a few issues we found, the very hissy transistors, but the amount of limiting resistors in the signal path clearly is hiding a high quality amp by dumbing it down, sorting it out reveals a sound that is very 'there' and accurate, probably too much for most but for detail freaks as we are this has a precision unlike the hard Yamaha CR-1000 sound. Biasing is difficult as the current runs away getting hot heatsinks though it can be adjusted differently to be stable. Spec was actually low despite it sounding Very Good on it. Familiar 1950s & 60s mono tracks sound better resolved with a focus that is a delight, especially on early Jamaican R&B and Calypso 45s revealing the studio acoustic as so well focussed with the vocals so clear it can surprise, those old Bluebeat 45s sound so clean here. Upgrading is not so easy on this one, a few odd issues, but the result puts it in to the Best Ever Amps with the 1965-69 ones. There is a matching tuner FT 600, unsurprisingly it looks like the SR-1000 with less controls & one less meter. We decided to upgrade this one further as the Pro Sound was interesting & now with a recapped-upgraded Phono stage it is a very impressive amp, beats the Pioneer SA9100 we had recently. BUY-RAW RATING: Beyond hissy transistors ours was good as not much used. Biasing is difficult. COOL RATING: 8 green meters add to the looks, good looking unit as is the receiver. (2015)

1971 Hitachi SR-1100 receiver↑
AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Very Good. UPGRADED: Excellent. 45w.CC. An excellent well made amp we rate highly. We put 1971 on this, if it first appears in HFN ads Sept 1974 & gets a review in Aug 1974. But the 1972 HFYB announces a Hitachi range yet none appear until the 1974 book & there don't appear to be any earlier Hitachi amps or receivers. To see it's a 1971 Amp that only got UK distribution by mid 1974. 45w is the correct RMS power, "55w+55w" is a vague rating to say 55w per channel if only one channel played. Phono stage with ICs if Hitachi custom made basic ones. Headphone socket resistor is too loud & a few foolish spoilers in here as Hitachi made an amp way too good & had to dumb it down, or as we note later with the IA-1000 above. It needs a few alterations to get the best from it though, so we'll rate it a little more cautiously, though it upgrades very well. This amp is still remarkable with a few upgrades & has a deep solid fast bass that most amps shy away from, if not a bloomy sort of slow bass this may suggest. An easy amp to work on as just so nicely made. 90v HT on the capacitor coupled output stage suggests maybe a 1970 model. This impressed us straight away after having had most of the other amps here, so to impress us means it is a bit special. A solid detailed sound with strong separation in stereo. Deep potential to deliver a very detailed smooth sound with the right upgrades. An amp we got later in our researching & we were pleased with how good it was after recapping, a wide stereo soundstage with fine detail is in this amp. Hitachi are a hidden secret on their early few amps, the later 1970s ranges seem much more typical. The German box & manuals have "Lo-D" logo on instead of the Hitachi if the amp is the same. BUY-RAW RATING: Good. COOL RATING: 7 nice looking amp with wood side cheeks if not enough style in most of these these later amps now as you'll see by the scores. (2013)

1971 Leak Delta 30 amplifier↑
AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Recommended. UPGRADED: n/a. 15w.CC. Always popular as stylish, sounds are a Very Good intro to vintage hifi, like the Trios in this section. Sound is clean & very rich, but ultimately limited by basic designs & power. Treat it modestly and it'll please though. The Leak range are all good starter amps, if at 15w on this one. Based on the Stereo 30 Plus if with the Stereo 70 type plug in boards. The Delta '30' is basically the 1968-69 '30 Plus' in a new case. See the 1971 Leak Delta 70 below as we ponder upgrading one. BUY-RAW RATING: Good. COOL RATING: 8 the Delta range is very appealing after the crude Stereo range, flush fitting thick fascia onto teak case with the back grille. In high grade these do look so cute. (2013)

1971 Leak Delta 70 amplifier↑
AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Recommended. UPGRADED: n/a. 30w.CC. Always popular as stylish, sounds are a Very Good intro to vintage hifi, like the Trios in this section. Sound is clean & very rich, but ultimately limited by basic designs & power. The Stereo 70 is basically the same amp in an earlier design case, the early Stereo 30 & 30 plus is different. Note the can-type board transistors used are all obsolete & no guides offer substitutes, but he who understands transistors will find there are endless 'better-than' equivalents, so don't give up on a non-worker. The Delta range '70' is basically the 1968 '70' in a new case & looks better for it. The front plastic part with spring inside will need regluing to stop the controls wobbling else it's about all that you have to do with these. The back top of case thin aluminium strip don't unpick it if part loose as it'll get dents & look ugly. Beware amateurs saying it has a MC input, it's a MICrophone input. Pity there wasn't a 60w amp in this range.
WORTH UPGRADING ONE? We've known the Leak Delta since getting one in the early 1990s & at a time did buy these but with the work of servicing, we outpriced ourselves as they are still a good budget buy. But the Leak Delta amps we have a fondness for, as one of the first Vintage amps we had. The Stereo 30+/70 are the same amp in an more 1960s earlier case design. The Delta 30/70 have a nice look if are not of any real excellence, but they are enjoyable & we'd recommend a Leak 30 or 70 as a perfect starter amp into Vintage. But to upgrade? Firstly the transistors in these are often poor, the Mullard BC147 type, & long ago putting in better ones sorted out the rough sound, of which the Stereo 30/70 suffer worst. The amp with the 4 plug-in boards is easy to get to though the axial caps limit things as only general quality ones are buyable. The trouble straight away is the Input circuit, it's Phono MM or Ceramic plus 2 Tuner with high-low switches. The best input is Tuner 1 as it has no resistor but we remember it being too loud as the circuit isn't a standard one. This sort of kills any upgrade-ability really, though the circuit gain could be altered & the Delta 75 has none of this. But looking further reminds us of the Tape Out having the Tone stage in it, not Flat which is annoying we remember from long ago if you record tracks from it. The power amp is not bad, it's just the preamp gain & inputs issue that holds it back. To fully upgrade one with redesign would take time & the results would be better but a risk of just too much of the amp would need redoing & for us selling upgraded hifi, we feel we'd outprice the amp as we did before on servicing them as they are easily bought & reliable. Getting axial caps is difficult as limited ranges & they need to fit the spaces. BUY-RAW RATING: Good. COOL RATING: 8 the Delta range is very appealing after the crude Stereo range, flush fitting thich fascia onto teak case with the back grille. In high grade these do look so cute. (2013)

1971 Leak Delta 75 receiver↑
AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): **This Will Fail = Too High Risky** Very sadly it's such a lousy design, remarkably poorly made. UPGRADED: Very Good. 35w.CC. Unlike the reliable Delta 30 & Delta 70 amps, this is perhaps the Worst Non-Budget Amplifier Ever Made, despite a decent sound. This was sold as a Quality Item, but so badly made & designed it's a Stinker. They must have failed after a couple of years or much less if used more as these are always found in 'attic' grade as the owner paid a hefty £160 for it in 1971-73, similar price as the 40w Sony STR-6055 & Teac AG-6000 with 50w. Not good value was it? The one on our 'Solds' page we recapped fully & it liked a few years ago & kept it for a while as it was then reliable. The construction is still like bits of other amp thrown together is a fair description of how it's made, it takes the Leak Tuner boards & fits the rest around it. The design got many changes over the production run, adding in a ferrite AM tuner rod inside as well as adding extra resistors to supposedly better the spec but spoils the sound instead. The earliest ones don't have the red warning box on the back & no antenna inside. The phono stage sounded decent. Nov 1971 HFN/RR shows the debut of this & describes it as "based on the Wharfedale 100.1 but styled in the Leak Delta series and includes the old Leak Electronics". This shows it's a post Harold Leak era cobbled together design using old Leak parts. It is a disaster of an amp, which is a pity as it is a great looking amp, but so cheaply & badly made. REVISITED. We thought we'd give it one last try a few years later than the last ones. First opinion was 'it's just so badly made'. But no good. It's just got too many bad problems, terrible build quality & TV grade parts. It's disappointing as we did get a decent sound from it part upgraded but it was too unreliable so in the bin went a third one, it burnt resistors, cooked capacitors but gave 15 mins play time four times before repairing got it too messy for the weak track just comes away so easily. Out of 4 we had, only the later run one on the 'Solds' page was safe & reliable, more miracle than luck, we used it often for a few months before selling it. But all others since have failed, failed & failed again. Enough. Very sad, but Harold Leak insulted buyers with this just before he sold out the company, the guy who was the first to use, not invent, NFB had a sick joke on the public with this awful amp. Many bad faults from bad capacitors, ultra thin board track, inadequate shielding & grounding. BUY-RAW RATING:Do not Buy This Amp. Guaranteed Risk of failure due to bad capacitors & rubbish construction & design. If one is sold as working but original it'll not last very long as it must be recapped. We've had 4 & only one survived & if we give up on it, so will you. This amp makes the awful 500 series Armstrong seem like quality, it's that bad. COOL RATING: 8 the Delta range is very appealing after the crude Stereo range, flush fitting thick fascia onto teak case with the back grille. In high grade these do look so cute. The receiver looks Very Good too, pity it's so unreliable to the point of too risky. (2011-14)

1971 Marantz 2245 receiver↑
AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Recommended-Very Good. UPGRADED: Excellent. 45w.SC, DIFF. Early classic era Marantz, pre the hex nuts fascia, with a sweet but clean & focussed sound you can upgrade the deliberate-cynical limitations out to bring it away from the soft blurry bass-light sound it is as-made, which keeps the rating lower. Well built amp that has a proper metal lamps assembly, not the plastic one of later models. Beware missing pre-power jumpers on the back which are needed for the amp to work. Beware the fuses on the board on the right heatsink fitted to some regions has 240v mains on it but the fuses are left open & easy to touch. Also to work on the power amps & bulbs is tricky. Hides it's potential with a surprising excess of cheap ceramics in the tone stage, but you may like that cosy soft sound. We upgraded ours & it came alive towards Excellent territory, if the 2265B here at the same time was preferred. So treble is soft, deep bass is light if thick on upper bass, this amp does sound overall nice, but it's severely hiding it's potential compared to fresher sounding amps. A nice amp though if one that sold quickly before we had time to think to upgrade it further as can happen. BUY-RAW RATING: Good. COOL RATING: 9 in the wood case, a bit plain without it. Earlier looks without the cute hex nuts but Marantz stuck with this design for so long as it is just so right. (2013)

1971 National-Panasonic SA-5800 receiver↑
AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Very Good. UPGRADED: n/a. 27w.SC, DIFF. This brand aka Technics since 1978-ish. Firstly ignore the 27w rating, it plays like a 40w amp. Cute looking & very well made 11kg amp it goes in well with other high rated ones here. A most appealing neutral & sweet sound with good volume if not the most bass. A little bargain that deserves our lofty ranking, our serviced & part recapped one sold in less than one day. One for the collector too, it's cute. The brochure is just a bit trippy in it's sell with "let the SA-5800 be your Magic Carpet. It's Vibrant Power will set a crowd swinging to the throbbing beat, or gently soothe the mediative individual", and "The Well Bred Child of close knit Family of Electronic Wizards", far out, man. For liking this amp, we got the 1967 SA-65 receiver above... BUY-RAW RATING: Good. COOL RATING: 7 very nice fascia if vinyl wrap loses it a point, purposeful & cute looking. (2013)

1971 Radford HD-250 amplifier↑AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Average. UPGRADED: n/a. 50w.CC. **Updated** We first had this in 2012 before getting to try amps on our Tannoy Speakers & before offering Upgrades. We didn't like it as the 2012 opinion says, but it reads less well these days so to have a new look in 2018, if we've not got one since. Radford are a respected brand for their Valve Pre & Power amps that were from the era of Building In to a cabinet. The HD-250 is not going to impress on looks, a thin plastic coated aluminium lid with tape inside to stop it bending to touch the main capacitors, open frame transformer that hummed until isolating it better. Axial Capacitors are less easy to upgrade. The Fascia is like Lab Kit, as plain as can be & one we saw later shows the fascia was a purple anodised colour that fades, unless you leave it for decades & the purple is behind the sliders. The design was a bit poor, early ones have no Headphone & to get out of Tape you had to press both buttons together to cancel, did they even try it out before selling? We used our Headphone box on the Speaker outputs to try it. The Solds Gallery shows our one from 2012, mismatched adjust pots on the Power Amp boards looks sloppy too. It had a strange 'Channel Gain' volume slider plus the actual Volume Slider. This even set to 0dB was way too loud & it upset hearing on headphones on playing other amps, the Leak Delta 75 here at the same time was preferred for sound. "Overloud & Shouty" was our opinion at the time. Output Transistors on the back should have the clip-on TO3 covers, again bad design as once these fall off 35v-70v is Live on the rear. Ours nearly caught fire as the Mains Switch capacitor was found smoking heavily one time. Safety is not the deal here, if not hard to correct it. Still used Imperial thread screws, we later saw the amp was based on a 1968 SCA-30 amp of theirs. It never seemed like a 50w amp for how easy it got into distortion if this was rated 50w in a 1977 HFN ad & described as "High Definition", hmm. Rated 50w, Max power 90w but distortion 0.006% at 25w is a bit foolish as it sounded awful. On spec & not altered so why so awful? Rated very low as it has the cheek to call itself a "Reference Series" amp. Construction looked like a cheap kit amp, not Heathkit quality, with long unshielded signal cables L+R twisted together, so much for crosstalk which was lousy making stereo tracks a blurry mess. The phono stage was overdesigned & sounded very boring despite their db ratings. The Radford SCA-30 is the earlier version, see Other Amps page for that & more Radford. We have thought to try this again around 2016 as our rating is a little harsh, but left it that time. It's a Rare amp & our 2012 opinion may not be what we'd think now, so have a look at the Circuit Diagrams. Phono is a bit confusing as well as lo-res, it's got a Tape Buffer stage on the right, if the Phono part has that Class B push-pull design needing 5 transistor actually a circuit others copied by the later 1970s, if it sounded lifeless. Tone again a hard one to unravel if high NFB on the first stage, an odd mid section & then another high NFB stage. Power Amp seems a good design except for very high NFB yet again. Horrible design & build throughout & no wonder it sounded so lousy, our 2012 opinion makes sense now. A very flattened alien sound we can see in the circuit & having learned what is a good circuit with upgrading, the Radford HD-250 is the truly worst amp there is, one that claims to be 'High Definition' not just the average 7w budget audio gear. BUY-RAW RATING: Good if likely Dangerous. COOL RATING: 1 this is one ugly swine of an amp, it looks like cheap lab kit & with none of the pro looks lab kit can have. The ugliest amp ever matching a Sugden as on the Other Amps page. (2012-18)

1971 Revox A78 amplifier↑AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Very Good. UPGRADED: n/a. 40w.CC. At Last we get a Revox. We looked at these in around 2013 on the "Other Amps" page if the difficulty is to find a Nice Grade complete one & at the right price. A Swiss brand by Willi Studer & the name Studer-Revox is much rated for their Open Reel Tape Machines. 1971 dated Schematic. We'll do this review as an 'Unboxing' as we've not opened it yet & what you'll read will be our first opinions. a tall amp 157mm high if not a deep unit at 228mm if fittings add more. 412mm wide so assume it's this size to stand a Revox Tape Machine on top. Top sprung flap is often broken, this one is good & it has Level Adjusts for the Inputs, Speaker buttons for 2 pairs & a fuse, keeps little used controls out of the way. A line of 5 push buttons below the flap on the neutral Grey Fascia give it a late 1960s look if the bright Teak veneer case livens it up. Old Cooker type rotary controls often missing cap ends have double use as Mode & Volume, Selector & Balance plus Tone as L+R keep the fascia tidy. Also 2 6.3mm Headphone Sockets & a 6.3mm Tape Output socket probably meaning a source to record from & power switch with light. The rear Panel has a 2-pin mains cable, we'd prefer 3 core mains for today's needs, DIN sockets for Speakers not great as 40w should use bigger cable. Inputs are Phono sockets for Tape, Tuner, Mic & MM Phono if DIN sockets for Aux & Ceramic Phono if the switch chooses either not both. Cast Iron Heatsinks like the Heathkit AR-1500 above with "+" shaped transistor covers plus a Multivoltage 110-240v adjuster. All neat if we'd prefer 3-core mains & 4mm Speaker sockets. Underneath has 2 sledge type feet quite like Ferrograph who copied a similar look or inspired it as F307 & earlier A60 both 1968. Four untouched screws undo & the amp pushes out the front of the cabinet. First opinion of the inside is it's better made than expected, rather neatly done with lots of Screened Cables. Tantalums & Axial Capacitors with the end cable trailing down the side of the capacitor instead of the more typical Japan capacitors with wires on one end. Power amps on opaque Fibreglass boards like Rogers amps use & those push on wires onto tabs as is a typical build style. Solidly built with boards with push on edge connector means a lot to service in this so it will probably sound quite tired. 4 large capacitors are Elko 4700µf 50v as the Power Amp L+R have a Transformer tap per channel which is unusual, plus a third power supply for the preamp. Direct Coupled Outputs so no Coupling Capacitor if the A50 is fairly similar & is a 40w amp also. To see what the differences are & didn't realise both A50 & A78 are 40w, both appear much the same on a quick diagram compare. Getting it ready to plug in as sold as Working, the controls are a little lacking in confidence with the Preset ones under the flap a bit flimsy. Mains Cable wired insanely, Blue & Black wires old stylem Black is Live & a typical 13A fuse as in the 1970s you could only get 13A plugs & most were unaware an amp drawing 200w needs a 3A fuse not a 3kW 13A one. Great or Junk? The Swiss build quality is different from USA-Japan amps but it's Top Quality. The more we look to see quality in the construction makes UK amps like Ferrograph seem like Junk, the fear of the grainy Ferrograph sound really put us off buying these sort of Amps. To look at B&O gear & think "crap" at how badly it's made, look at the Beomaster 3000 inputs board for what we mean, if not seeing any of that here. First Play. It'll be tired as looks little used in decades, but here goes... Gentle bomp on turn on, using Tuner for Input. Sounds decent as good as any Japan amp from the same 1969-71 era. 'Loudn-Low' works like the Yamaha Loudness by reducing the volume leaving only the Bass which is a bit odd. Presence boosts the Upper Midrange about 2kHz slightly. Needs a Service if as Raw it's better than expected, a little background noise & the odd crackle. On Stereo tracks it has that odd L+R swap on Headphones like some USA amps do so the inputs need swapping. The amp has a pleasant sound & the Dual Power Supplies do give good Stereo width. Differences 1968 A50 to 1971 A78. Very little by the looks of it. Flap hides Speaker switches so 2 speaker pairs on A78. First 1.078.110 board is identical save a 50/47µf update. Second 1.078.069 is 1.178.069 on A78 adding the 'Presence' button plus the extra Transistor that the A50 doesn't have. Third 1.078.076 board is identical. Power Amp 1.078.114 is 1.178.114 on A78 is identical beyond updated 22/25/220/250µf, two low value capacitor additions, minor change to the protection & 2 transistor number changes. Probably updated based on Hifi Mag reviews, it's basically no different to the A50. Both have a 2.2 ohm resistor on the Speaker output so you could put the DIN with the round pin in one way for 4 ohm & the other for 8 ohm speakers if ours has that looking inside if there's a White Disc to rotate to match, arrow to the left for 8ohm, arrow to the right for 4 ohm adding in the resistor is probably not realised. Diode & Pot Issues. The power amp boards have one screw & then it pulls out with a wiggle. But they don't tell you there are 2 tiny diodes tightly fitted on the back of the board into the groove of the round metal bit the screw goes into, oops a click & broken diode. 1N4448 ones easily found. Pull board away & straight up to not break should be told. Diodes got, but then to see the 4 adjust pots are very weak as deteriorated with no grip means they need replacing or the amp will get damaged. The curse of EU amps returns, probably explains why Revox are parted out a lot on ebay. We got the Grundig SV80M as partly reviewed & saw similar difficulties with it to not fancy trying another, similar issues with B&O got us tired with them. But the diodes are slimmer than modern ones to push into the block, so if you break one swap the one above the hole (D503) to keep the size. These sort of diode & pot issues are what makes us not like EU amps, if sorted now & to tell to keep these alive. Taking It Apart. Thin spindly front connectors on the plastic knob parts look easy to break, if ours are good. 3 screws on the top plastic strip, flap hold down, undo 2 long bolts. the lower part is on pointed rods that just push in, so to pull apart. Not obvious at all. It's quite fragile in places, care needed to get to the adjust pots. Leaves the 4 rotary controls loose & wobbly as designed, the clear plastic dial acts to make them solid, very EU build quality. One to be careful of buying, we've seen rough ones & passed on trying this amp several times. The EU type of amp we've known from Radiograms plus Bang & Olufsen, to see the Grundig SV-80 was a difficult amp, this is less difficult if whether to upgrade & recap as it's not that like the USA & Japanese amps that upgrade well, some UK amps we know don't take to upgrading, so to decide. After Servicing. It actually sounds very decent, it's a quality sound if not as sweet or open as some amps. Wide Stereo, Treble sounds a little softened at the extremes & Rock Guitar shows it's not as detailed as a recap-upgraded amp, if as-original amps never are. Compared to some Serviced but Original amps, this certainly is a strong 'Very Good'. Shall We Recap? To look closer at the Circuits. Using 'Tuner' as the Aux input to use Phono plugs, signal goes direct to the Filter Amp Board without even a buffer which is unusual. The 'Prescence' stage is unusual in how they Boost the Upper Midrange, leaves a slight Retro Bass sound to it. The rest of the preamp looks good, not so keen on the fuss of the Presence control that doesn't do that much, the A50 will be better without it. Next the Tone Board with Balance strangely in the first half of the circuit. Stepped Tone Controls use components, not potentiometers. Power Amp has the 2.5k adjust pot for Balancing the Audio (AC bias) & the 100R one for (DC) Bias. Circuits are good here, as good as any Japanese amp with some EU quirks. Difficulties in recapping are the 4 main caps have a screw on the end of the capacitor like huge ones in washing machines do. The spacing of the 3 plug-in boards on the left is very tight, to use typical capacitors the height needs care & for the fact boards are so close on the aging foam part, the tops could touch the underside of the other board. Space & Quirks here make us decide to sell as "Serviced" & a buyer has it from our 'Coming Soon' section. Interesting to see one of the Big Names with a Quality amplifier, if it still keeps our ideas to be wary of the UK-EU amps as this one showed. There is a reason why later EU-UK amps are Made In Japan, the build is far better as the 1978 Leak showed. BUY-RAW RATING: Hard to find nice, plus other tricky issues as noted above. COOL RATING: 6 It's a Revox which is a famous brand for tapes, looks nice in high grade. (2018)

1971 Sansui 5000X receiver (F6013 version)↑
AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Very Good. UPGRADED: Excellent. 60w.CC. 5000 version is 1968-69, 5000A is 1969-70, the 5000X is 1971-72. The 5000x with the new design F-6013 power amp is the best version of this one, the F-1040 boards on the earliest 'X' & the 'A' versions have heat sensing diodes that are fine if the amp is adjusted right, but the F-6013 is a better design. Like the 4000 has the Aux through a big resistor to Phono level & into the Phono board to be amplified up again which loses fidelity. But use Tape In to bypass that instead. A very lively sounding amp that upgrades better than the Sansui 4000 that was a bit unstable if upgrades were tried & overall is just a better amp. One of the last capacitor coupled amps but that is no loss to the sound which is the best of the Sansui to use as-is & still hear a Very Good sound. Comes in either a metal case lid or a full wood case but no metal lid. Proves that an amp with the least amount of transistors & least stages of NFB sounds the best, this has 3 on the tone & the power amp stage is just 7 transistors. Still worth trying the Sansui 7000 & Sansui Eight of the early ranges, though the 5000X is certainly a winner and showed the 3000A up as a little lacking even needing altering. Seems the 5000X is much more wanted in the USA than the 5000A, appears to have sold well & be recognised for what a Very Good amp it is. The 3000A can do well too but needs a huge amount of work to upgrade, the 5000X isn't too much to do in comparison. BAD DIODES? There was a bit of scaremongering on this amp at one time on Forums, if it suddenly vanished as it's misinformation. The black diodes on the Driver board if damaged would go open circuit & damage the Output Transistors says one 2010 post. If it gets damaged it goes wrong, fancy that. The problem is quite like the Sansui 3000 & 3000A where 0.5A or 1A diodes are used, the 1971 update on the 3000A recommends 1.5A diodes. These same feeble diodes Teac AS-100 uses for it's main power supply. BUY-RAW RATING: Good. COOL RATING: 6 looks very like the 1969 Teac if just lacking style for function. (2014)

1971 Sherwood S-7200 receiver↑AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Very Good. UPGRADED: Excellent. 40w.SC, DIFF. Sherwood is a USA brand not often seen in the UK, we've seen low grade 1963 era Valve amps by them, but not got one yet. Sherwood were a smaller company not trying to compete with the big sellers like Sansui & Pioneer says an ad of the era, they were rated 4th. $360 to buy new at the time, the UK HFYB wrongly lists it in 1975 as 50w if no prices. Sherwood from Chicago USA if made in Japan much like Marantz did. Attractive amp with that early 1970s look, wood veneer case & some less typical front layout. There appears to be no Volume, if it's oddly marked 'Loudness' on the top right & has the mains switch on it. Push buttons & rotary switches have it looking a bit like the Harman-Kardon 930 we've had. The back is all Phono inputs, no DIN for tape unusually & 2 sets of Speaker outputs via typical screws. The back cover has the 2SC 1111 output transistors behind & it's rated 20-200W as in max VA power. The amp itself is a 40w one, if the specs show Bass is typically limited explaining only 32w at 20Hz-20kHz which we don't take note of for upgrading, 40w amp here. Lid off and it looks like the NAD 160 from 1972, the same custom makers clearly if nothing looks exactly the same, the layout is similar as are the case fitting bolts underneath. The NAD 160 is a strictly midprice amp for build quality, the Sherwood here looks more 1971 build with more care in the case construction as are the Realistic 1972 receivers, such as silvered Mica small value capacitors. A label behind the fascia has '7220' showing a 1972 built amp. The S-7200 is actually multivoltage as a switch inside says 117v AC - 234v AC explaining the 220-240v label on the back if "prewired for 220-240v" hides the fact. Like the NAD 160, it has the poor power supply board with hot resistors right next to small capacitors, the Akai AA8080 from 1972 has this too. The circuit is almost the same design as the NAD 160 if the Tone stage on NAD adds a extra transistor to make a version of a 'Complimentary Cascade Pair' stage & a few minor Power Amp differences. The Sherwood circuit suggests it's a superior 1970 design using the same early black-dome CDC8002 transistors as the 1970 Sansui AU-666 has, if the amp here uses more typical later ones. We'd be more inclined to call this a 1971 design, if online it shows 1973-76 era, too much here suggests 1971 as the fascia code shows. The main power caps are only 3300µf if the later NAD has 8000µf, together with the screw connectors are far more 1971. First try & it sounds too bassy as the Loudness button is pressed 'in' to cancel, not the usual way. The looks of the amp are interesting, square looks in a 'Space Age' way with a black-out Tuner until it's used so all you see is Aux 1 lit to show the amp is on. The Sound as original & just about unserviced is pleasant if a bit aged with good stereo width if the start of the volume due to the power switch means 'off' needs it pointing to 6 o'clock to seem right & match the '-60' on the fascia once it's on, else it doesn't seem loud enough for where the pointer is. The L+R on the headphone is the wrong way around for modern headphones, found this a few times on the USA KLH & Heathkit & the headphone circuit could be improved as it still can go midway & not seem loud enough, easy to correct. Testing Rock with the usual Joan Jett tracks shows the amp has a good neutral sound as it fills in the guitar well, if is still a bit polite, far better than some amps that can't deal with Rock. 46 year old amp potentially, needs Servicing, adjusting & a Recap. But knowing the NAD 160 version of this, it does upgrade nicely. so it'll get it. The logo on the boards is a Δ with arrow ends & 'EYPS', the same Δ is on the main caps too. The main amp boards had alterations if L+R are slightly different versions with one corrected more than the other. It's an interesting amp, but as so close to the NAD 160, one to recap-upgrade to sell. This amp clearly needs recapping as found in later comparing, if basically it has that decent NAD 160 sound. On getting to upgrade this, compare to the NAD 160, the HT is very similar at ±37v if the NAD 160 is ±39.5v to rate it slightly higher at 45w. Sherwood has nice looks, a bit retro quirky which add to the appeal & nicely made. Proof the S-7200 predates the NAD 160 are the power amp board numbers, '6015' on the S-7200 & '6077' on the NAD. Quite heavy compared to the NAD & the tuner glass inside actually is glass not perspex as the outer window is. As a USA brand. A Differential design if no Relay it sounds fresher, if without the odd design that held the Akai AA8080 from being more upgraded. It does well if not to upgrade too much as we can predict the results & to keep the price realistic to sell, sounds great now all recapped & upgraded it's worthy of an Excellent & does better the NAD 160 for detail. One we found interesting as the write up reveals. Matches well to Tannoy Golds. BUY-RAW RATING: Good if ours needed some recapping as poor sounding as 1971. COOL RATING: 7 kooky Retro looks are unlike typical Japan built amps, but well made looks smart. (2017)

1971 Sony TA-2000F pre-amplifier↑
AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Recommended-Very Good. UPGRADED: Excellent.FETs, Preamp. These 2000F & 3200F seem under-appreciated for modest prices even with the wood cases. As with our other amp reviews we look at things deeper & with upgrading in mind. The 1972 version of the 1968 TA-2000 preamp to be used with the 1968 half size TA-3120 which was more or less the TA-1120A with extra features. The 1971 TA-2000F & TA-3200F below are the height of advanced Hifi made at a time just before Discount shops reshaped the market. The early TA-2000 has the flat control knobs and 5 of the 6.3mm jack sockets on the front, the TA-2000F has two & adds Filter & Mic Level controls. The meters have a bigger frame round them without the 'Test' button that the TA-2000F has a Meter Level adjust control, else they look pretty much the same. TA-2000 was sold 1968-71 & the TA-2000F was sold 1971-76. By 1975 the V-FET range replaced these so by 1975-76 unsold stock was still around. Both pre & power are the standard Sony TA-1120/1120A/1130/1140 size. The build quality is very high, no bare metal to corrode as it's painted black. Multivoltages ones with the adjust block just under the lid at the back. Inside is a lid covering the front controls with one filter-tape out board in there too. A shielded box contains 4 plug-in boards, another fixed to the Phono inputs plus Transformer & Power Supply capacitors. All very classy, if the foam that holds the plug-in boards is a bit cheap & it's falling apart now so a better idea that doesn't leave a gooey mess to be found. A very pleasing item with lots of controls if in reality you'll never use some. No Loudness is a good thing to see. Compared to the TA-2000 which is heavily based on the TA-1120A, here it's all different, a brand new design & layout, if the back panel is much the same. The TA-2000F can easily be seen as the better, if we aren't sure how good FETs are, which is why we are trying the pre-power pair, as the TA-1130 wasn't too exciting sounding. TA-2000 circuit again much like the TA-1120A if the TA-2000F is radically different & it really does use 150v Regulated Power Supply for some of the Phono stage. The TA-2000F adds a Buffer stage on the output showing how advanced this preamp is, a buffer stops the impedance of a Tape Recorder affecting the Preamp response. In using the preamp, we just set all Inputs to Max and the Output to 1v which suited the Power Amp & doesn't reduce the Audio Signal needlessly. If it's set differently, you may think the amp sounds a bit weak, to learn your amplifier & ours was here 2 days before we typed anything as it needs learning in & out. The Headphone socket on the first TA-2000 is hopeless as is the TA-1120A one, the 1965 TA-1120 has none. But the TA-2000F is advanced as it has a small power amplifier to drive headphones in the way you'd expect Headphones to play & in effect you don't need a Power Amp or Speakers if Headphones will do. The preamp for all the good ideas is an awesome unit of a quality never made before or since. But it is made in 1972-74 so it'll need servicing to sound good, ours as unserviced if we took it apart to check it, it does sound a bit dull with that unfortunate 'Retro Bass' from the circuit design that gives so much but then limits bass? Why do that? Ours has the single-insulated 2 core mains that was outlawed by 1976, if the blade plug can be plugged into the Power Amp to not have 2 plugs & risk Earth Loops. But either pre or power should really be wired with 3 core mains for UK safety, the Power Amp we'll put 3 core on. One mean feature is 'security screws' that scrape the metal to show if it's been tampered with, 1975 Pioneer SA-9500 uses similar. Removing the aged foam that holds the boards still we didn't like the idea so just removed it to clean and a repaint needed as glue ruins paint. The preamp via the amplified Headphone Socket as it arrived sounded very dull with a weak vagueness to the sound & the Retro Bass being noticeable. Now Serviced, it sounds totally different. Treble is restored, midrange weak focus gone. A fast sound if still the limited bass & not much weight or kick to the sound, if what a Difference a Proper Service makes. What to do next, to recap & upgrade? What's it Lacking beyond a proper deep bass? Actually not too much compared to some, but we've heard far better from upgrades, if it generally shows how great this Preamp is, or at least can be with our upgrades. A little more Air on the Treble is needed as currently it's still quite mannered, needs more fluidity to the sound to open the soundstage up further. Stereo is wide but the sound seems restrained meaning not effortless, and a proper Bass is much needed. It plays a Retro Bass that may please the unaware, but it's that "flat" sort of one-note bass that's restricted sounding. Deep Bass is generally never in amplifiers. Therefore it has potential but it doesn't sound 'Natural' or 'Realistic' to our trained ears, if will seem wonderful to most. High Upgrade Potential if the design is rather limited if we can hear a quality in it to do a proper upgrade on. Once Upgraded. There is a great lively sound lost deep in this amp, but it's so dumbed down, for 1972-74 it's a bit surprising. The preamp has 'T' bass filters & bass is limited everywhere as is overall spec, very strange design designed to perfection, based on how ours upgraded, but dumbed down like Sony were terrified of it. There is a 150v HT supply which beyond the Power Supply there is only 69v-80v used in circuit so to use 100v caps which makes it easier. We recapped the 2 main caps, a fuse is fitted underneath the casing & the 250v cap was showing minor traces of growing crustiness & a little sour, but the 70v one was very crusty, as in the eletrolyte turns to dust that fell out which was not expected for the preamp design. Bulbs are the typical 30mm fuse type 8v 0.3A & a LED bulb works fine if AC flicker can show with some amps as bulb circuits are often AC, this with LEDs was too flickery. Phono Stage is MM & MC so gets tested with the Goldring G-850 (see the Blog page for why) and it has a rare precision in a Phono stage that we've only heard with Sony in the TA-1120 & STR-6120. Higher treble is detailed with a crisp precision if the rest still sounds like it needs +2 on the Treble tone, which is more us for knowing how Valve Phonos sound. It is cohesive if lacks the depth & Stereo detail using the valve phono with treble tone set to match the sound balance. But it certainly is one of the Best Phono Stages with Transistors we've heard, perhaps it is the best one. Output Level Matching? The preamp has 1v or 300mV output levels which will suit just about all Power Amps. Pre-Power Comparing. To use the Akai AA-5800 which has similar pre-power levels to tell which is better. The TA-2000F sounds great with extra wide stereo & correct full bass, the TA-3200F shows it has a clean sound but Bass isn't as good for the odd design compared to other Sony. That Volume Control. The very slow Taper to get a decent volume is very offputting on the amp. It makes it seem like it doesn't have much Volume as it needs to be halfway almost to get the right sound & then quickly gets very loud. It's not got Loudness so easy to upgrade it, see the Jan-Feb 2 part Blog on this. BUY-RAW RATING: Good once serviced else it will sound dull. COOL RATING: 9 in the wood case these are the Pinnacle of Cool, 7.5 without the wood case. (2017-18)

1971 Sony TA-3200F power amplifier↑
AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Very Good. UPGRADED: Excellent. 100w.DIFF, SC, Power Amp. These 2000F & 3200F seem underappreciated for modest prices even with the wood cases. As with our other amp reviews we look at things deeper & with upgrading in mind.No FETs in this despite the "F" naming. There are at least two versions of this, which is a bit confusing by the manuals. Date range is 1970-76 say some if we'll keep it as 1971 for the UK market. The first version has 2 black driver heatsinks like the STR-6120 uses plus a board next to the main amp board with a Speaker Protection circuit on. The second has 4 of the same size driver transistor plus extra circuitry in the middle of the power amp board that contains the Speaker protection board, so that older board is no longer included as it was improved on c.1973. The power supply Diodes board changes from the STR-6120 type diode rectifier block to separate diodes. Some guesswork by others reckons there are 3 versions but the description here says there won't be 2 speaker protection circuits. For a 1971 amp 100w is very high power, it uses just one transistor, not doubled like the TA-1120(A) does & that TX-183S transistor is only rated 100w. A semi complimentary design with around ±62v as the main voltage. We have the better later one. The amp has a 'Power Limiter' which is in the Protection Circuit & just sets Protection to limit the power, simple circuit involved if why buy a 100w amp to use at half-50w or quarter-25w is a mystery. The power amp is a heavy one, the huge transformer is 140mm x 120mm x 100mm, containing a potted regular transformer. 2 main power caps, the later ones use black cased Nippon Chemicon 8000µf 80v which is extremely high value for a 1972 design compared to the similar 50mm diameter values of today. Heatsink sections at the back as the TA-1130 used, so the TA-3200F was designed before the TA-1130 which was a scaled down version of both pre & power, plus power supply diodes board on the right. Front has the power Limiter, speakers, Function-Inputs 1&2 plus more Level adjusts for L+R, if as with the Preamp we set them to max once hearing it played fine. Multivoltage block inside next to the heatsinks. Speaker Connectors give the age away. Same push button spring connectors that are with under 3mm holes. On a 100w amp you can only use thinner cable & today it's known that thicker cable especially on longer runs is required, if to use good basic cable, not expensive hyped stuff. Ours has the single-insulated 2 core mains that was outlawed by 1976, if the blade plug can be plugged into the Pre Amp to not have 2 plugs & risk Earth Loops. But either pre or power should really be wired with 3 core mains for UK safety. The rear panel says "Test" on a small slide switch. This is not clear what it does, if it's actually a Bass Limiting "Low Filter" switch on the inputs. "Normal" means Low Filter in use, "Test" is without the Low Filter. Be sure everyone owning this amp keeps it on "Normal" so is using the Low Filter Switch without realising & losing deep bass. A graph of it's use shows 'Normal' rolls bass off below 100Hz which is hopeless, why is a 100w amp so scared of deep Bass? The fascia has 2 subtle versions, the Power Limiter is either marked "Full, 1/2, 1/4" or "Off 100w/50w/25w" on earlier ones as the brochures show. On looking at Google images & ebay the non 'Full' one is a rarity, 1 in 25+, possibly Japan-only version. The spare fascia we have has the non 'Full' one but is better grade. Specs on hifi-studio.de say Slew Rate is supposedly a huge 150v/µsec, if the HT is only ±62v, so to assume it reaches full 'slew' in under half a µsec? Damping Factor of 170 quoted too, probably tests in a review. This has some unfindable transistors a Driver 'SPS 885' & the 'TX-183S' outputs. Ours was filthy inside & needed a deep clean, also the heatsink paint comes off so a respray needed, it's not anodised black like some do. After Servicing playing the Power amp from the Soundcard direct with the level controls. On the positive side it sounds neutral with wide Stereo. But the Retro One-Note Bass gets tiring & on some dancey tracks it sounds awful, if you know how it should sound, instead you get a thick tuneless Bass. The sound is a bit soft on high treble as is the preamp, leaving it sound lacking immediacy if it is fast sounding, it's really not got the detail. 60s Ska is just a blurred sound that isn't musical enough for us. Midrange lacks a confident focus leaving it a bit "wanting to turn it off" as it doesn't excite. Using punchy tracks it responds well with a punchy sound if it has no balls or attitude with those weaknesses. Severely in need of recap & upgrade, aka big subtle redesign, to awaken this rather tame sound as it'll sound decent on speakers to most but it does lack the quality of how the 1968 Sony STR-6120 upgraded only just recently. After Recapping Fully it now sounds like an amp should & there is still more to do. Playing this direct from the Soundcard via the front volume controls like a passive preamp, the sound is hugely better with clear focus the biggest difference. We did recap the 2 main ones, they are 44 years after all if the black Nichicon ones look like current ones. Inside both cut open they were still good, no crustiness if a bit on the dry side, if probably still good for use if the amp wasn't heavily used, unlike the preamp ones. Bulb for this is a 2.2v torch bulb, the one in ours had failed so bougght more online as still made, if they fail after a few on-off cycles so to put a LED type bulb gives only a dim light as 12v rated bulbs. Odd choice of voltage. Output Level Matching? The specs show 1.4v is needed for full output power, so a different preamp with a lower 400mV output will not be loud enough for the TA-3200F. We found the Preamp has the right output level, but the power amp is lacking on gain on the 1v preamp output setting & doesn't sound like a 100w amp for the level. Pre-Power Comparing. To use the Akai AA-5800 which has similar pre-power levels to tell which is better. The TA-2000F sounds great with extra wide stereo & correct full bass, the TA-3200F shows it has a clean sound but Bass isn't as good for the odd design compared to other Sony. BUY-RAW RATING: For 100w power either you'll get a good one that will improve once serviced, if online reveals many are used hard, altered & problem amps. one to buy carefully. COOL RATING: 9 used with the preamp in wood cases. quite plain but 'serious kit' look. (2017-18)

1971 Sony TA-1130 amplifier↑
AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Very Good. UPGRADED: Excellent. 65w.SC, DIFF, FET preamp. The most accessible of the earlier Sony amplifiers, if it was still available into 1976. A tight accurate sound with FETs in the preamp. A quality cleaner, leaner, tighter & more natural sound is in here and this ranks it high, but not as rich bass or upfront as the STR-6120 on a compare with it as original, though it can upgrade into a more full sound if still being neutral with wide Stereo imaging. The early Sony amps have an excellent midrange that is spot on for vocals & the 1130 is the cleanest sounding one after the 1965 TA-1120. We got the exact same amp back again, since then we've been using the valve receivers more & oddly prefer it's more natural sound to the big Yamaha CR-1000. This amp has a lot of spoilers especially in the preamp & once sorted the previous tidy polite sound is now more confident with a better natural bass that sounds very different with a neutral treble not as bright as some. A smart looking amp in the big walnut case as is the TA-1120A. The next step in Sony are the TA-3200F & TA-2000F pre & power 100w combo, one day perhaps. Semi complimentary power amp design, the first year Sony done this if not quite matching how good their earlier capacitor coupled design was, though we'd like to try one yet again. Getting this amp back yet again, needed a repair, the sound once right again was still in line with the Sony STR-6120 sound, if only with our upgrades. But still not as loud as 65w would suggest & we did find the FETs are a fixed design. After knowing the early 1965 Sony TA-1120 this still compares well, but only after some of the earlier sound is put back in, otherwise it still is quite thin & grainy sounding. THE WOOD CASES for the 1970s amps are a three part clip together teak with a grooved top, sizes will be similar to the TA-1120 noted above. To find these later ones in nice grade is difficult. BUY-RAW RATING: Good. COOL RATING: 7 looks like the TA-1120(A) if with the later crinkly control knobs taking a bit of class away, but still cool in the wood case which was the less smart 3 part teak one by now. without the case dips a point. (2011-15)

1971 Sony TA-1140 amplifier↑
AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Very Good. UPGRADED: Excellent. 40w.SC, DIFF. **Updated** One in the same range as the complex FETs TA-1130, we first got this amp early on in our Amplifier Testing before anyone took notice, one in a wood case for £40. In 2018 we belatedly got another one, as prices are now often unrealistic for Raw Unserviced Amps. Still one of the Good Sonys despite the build inside being far from the TA-1120(A) & TA-1130. Semi-complimentary design. One known problem is messy solder which causes problems, the one on the Gallery page needed a lot tidied as the mess gave problems. It's still a Very Good amp with Good potential to upgrade here, this is more or less the Amp version of the STR-6055. See the Oct 2018 blog for comparing the TA-1140 to the STR-6055 designs. The TA-1140 we've never recapped & upgraded before or even tried on the Tannoys, so an interesting revisit here. Lid off, there's not much inside compared to the TA-1120 & TA-1130. The Preamp & Tone are on the front two boards with resistors on ends to take less space. Still all Transistors, the TA-1150 had the preamp IC. As good as early Sony are, they are always shy on bass with low coupling capacitors if they upgrade well. The Service Manual for this amp is poor quality which is probably why we've not upgraded one & even now that Photocopy blurry one is all there is, the 1140 sold well so why is it rare? The TA-3140 small power amp has the same power amp with only one minor diference on C504 so that helps. The Circuit Breaker Glass Tube item is a bit of a mystery, the Service Manual says if the heat caused by excess current trips it, the bulb lights, to assume it resets once the fault is removed. The Circuit we compare on the Oct 2018 blog if high NFB in the Preamp isn't idead to us if overall it;s actually a good design, streamlined & pared in construction. Potentially for a less fussy design as the TA-1120(A) & TA-1130 are, to try upgrading it more just to see how good it can be, after all we did sell the others. This amp does benefit from a good Service to awaken the rather dull sound that we noticed early on, the unusual 50mV Bias is a quirk of the design & doesn't affect the sound or get warm. As Serviced the Sound is far more precise than unserviced, again see the Oct 2018 blog for more. Rating as Serviced now updated. Looking at the last two we sold, the serial number inside on the current one is midway of the last two, so to wonder why the last two we only rated 'Recommended'. The 2018 one has neat solder on the preamps is one idea. It's why we revisit them. Board Layouts with 2 stages on one board suggest compromise has been made, but seeing Power Amp has the Power Amp Power Supply, Preamp-Tone has the Preamp Power Supply & the Mode switch board has the Phono stage, it's at least thought out to reduce all the wiring that makes the early Sony so busy. To realise this puts the TA-1140 into a different league after looking at the circuits to upgrade, it's not a Budget amp like the TA-1150 is. £110 new in 1973 when the TA-1130 was £155 shows costs have been reduced if the design shows it'll upgrade well. Blurry manual shows NEP & GEP models, if ours is the UK AEP one as stamped under the fascia which is a mix of the other versions. Recap & Upgrading is what we'll do to this to see how good it can be. Verdict after recapping, the bigger size main caps are more expensive on this amp, but worth doing to see how good it is. Upgrades well giving a decent Bass, clean Midrange & crisp Treble. Still a Classic Sony & a good one to revisit. Comparing to the TA-1140. We have both 1140 & 1150 at the same time, the 1150 preamp despite the IC sounds better than the 1140 if the 1140 power amp is superior to the 1150 one. The 1140 preamp has a bad bit of design if this can be changed to give a much fresher sound if redesign takes ages to get right. The TA-1140 otherwise is a good design with certain design features that not many amplifiers have, so to try more with it. THE WOOD CASES for the 1972-73 amps are a three part clip together teak with a grooved top, sizes will be similar to the TA-1120 noted above. To find these later ones in nice grade is difficult. We got our first TAC-1 the earlier solid box version with one of these which was the right one for the 1971 ones. BUY-RAW RATING: Good if risk of poor soldering. COOL RATING: 7 looks like the TA-1120(A) if with the later crinkly control knobs taking a bit of class away, but still cool in the TAC-1 earlier wood case where it'd be an '8'. A minus is it's usually full of dust & dirt (2011-18)

1971 Sony STR-6036 receiver↑AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Average. UPGRADED: n/a. 16w.Sony were trying to appeal to all buyers from Budget TA-1010 to the STR-6120 or STR-6200F top amps by 1971 & this was one of their low models, if not the lowest. Laughably budget made 16w thing, hardly worth the effort to make surely as power & volume is pathetic, unlike the Trio low power ones which had some volume. One for grannies to replace a cheap gram with only must be the reason it existed & Sony were very budget conscious disregarding quality at this time. This is actually a 1971 model as in a 1971 brochure with the STR-6055, STR-6046, STR-6200F & STR-6850, showing Sony started into budget gear earlier than we thought. Not worth retrying as such a feeble volume, this is Sony's turkey for sure. BUY-RAW RATING: Good COOL RATING: 6 looks smart & very 1971 midprice style with the wood veneer case, but hides a mediocre amp. (2012)

1971 Sony STR-6046A receiver↑
AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Recommended. UPGRADED: n/a. 25w.
A modest power later Sony with pleasing retro looks. It's actually got STK blocks for the power amp but at 25w it stays modest & still has the retro sound in a modest way so we reckon it deserves including as it's certainly above average in sound quality & good starter into Vintage. It actually has many qualities of amps but power is finite & the sound is limited to fit. Strange that a STK block amp sounded still good enough to recommend after the feeble 16w one above. BUY-RAW RATING: Good. COOL RATING: 6 much the same as the 1971 STR-6036 very of it's era. (2012)

1971 Sony STR-6055 receiver↑
AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Very Good. UPGRADED: Excellent. 40w.SC, DIFF. As this with the STR-6065 is basically the receiver version of the TA-1140 if sounding a little more like the TA-1130. A more friendly richer sound with the receivers than the amp if UK buyers still didn't buy Sony as much until the 1973 more basic ranges. Fresh & open sound if deep bass is a bit lacking though as typical, but at 40w it's acceptable. The power supply is cramped up on the versions with fuses above & is a weakness as ventilation is limited. The internal layout of the power amp & power supply is tricky with no shielding of sections so the power amp is open to the power supply & tuner stages. A very different amp to the feeble STR-70xx series that followed, but is a bit midprice looking on a later look. Looks smart in the wood case as do all Sony of this era. The 1971 ranges of Sony were still their quality era as the two below reveal. We did see potential to upgrade, but with others around, we didn't try. Based on the STR-6050 & STR-6850 being so good & this being fairly similar in design, upgrading needs doing, though looking again the semi-complimentary power amp board is very tightly packed making upgrading difficult & it'll never be a STR-6120. But after recap-upgrading most if it, it makes a decent sound,. to the point didn't think it'd be this good compared to the TA-1140. Clean fresh lively sound with no grain & a proper bass with our upgrades. One to be aware of the Loudness button by the Volume, must be pressed in to not sound too bassy. Deserves an 'excellent' as upgraded if we don't rate higher to keep it real & other 'excellents' will better this but our required quality of sound certainly is here. The second of these we had which we recapped only the Power Amp & Tone stage is on ebay June 2017, it's not the Gallery one as that was the first one. REVISTED 2018: First got one of these in 2013 which was before we Recapped & Upgraded all amps. Got another in 2015 & only recapped the Power Supply board, Power Amp board & Tone board from looking at pics, if didn't go too far with it. To see it's a worthwhile one means it gets Revisited. This one we buy as a metal case version if it turns up with a wood case, but once unpacked it's only the top & one side as likely the owner removed the side as too wide for a shelf. As most is there the side could be remade. Amp always has the "kettle" plug socket like later gear if on later Sony to look for the "A" version to get this & some aren't multivoltage-240v versions. Better made than the similar 1969 STR-6050 as it has 5 fuses in the UK model, compared to none in the STR-6050. This does cramp the power supply underneath it a bit. No shielding between power supply, amp & tuner does show cost cutting if overall it still has quality, Tuner is on 4 boards, if the control knobs aren't solid metal, a plastic inner with a metal case still looks smart. After seeing several Sony this for 1971 still has the style as 2/3 of the case makes it look not unlike the big STR-6120. speaker connectors are just screws if space to fit 4mm ones easy enough. Play It As Original. Aux 1 is on the lever switch not like other sSony. PAT test dated Dec 2010 shows someone cared. 1967 Pioneer SX-1000TDF arrived the same day & it was rather aged sounding, the STR-6055 sounds far fresher. Crisp sound on the Brighter side as Lower Midrange & Bass isn't so strong. It does tell it's a bit low spec if overall a clean sound. Not one to play too much as the thinner sound can upset the hearing balance as your brain compensates for unbalanced frequencies as we put on the site & blog. Tuner works on FM, Sony tuners are reliable. The STR-6055 Circuit is a nice sane design if very shy of bass. Differential Power Amp is quite different to the TA-3200F if the Protection stage is similar. As we blogged Aug 2018, this is another of those Great Designs tamed down so they aren't that impressive. The high grade of this amp is unlike the others we've had.BUY-RAW RATING: Generally good if the power supply can be a bit risky. COOL RATING: 7 looks very like the 1969 STR-6050 with the aluminium fascia, with the wood case in high grade it looks a very classy 8.5. (2013-2018)

1971 Teac AS-100 amplifier↑
AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Very Good. UPGRADED: Excellent*. 40w.SC, DIFF. In our earlier amp testing this was one of the first clean fresh sounding amp we got after the Trio KA-4002 & was a benchmark for some time outdoing the Sansui AU-999 with ease. Very clean, open sounding yet still musical. Surprisingly it has ICs in the preamp, on the first amp we had we noted one is a 'Teac 42708', the other a 'Sanyo LD3130', not that they are findable to buy or research. It appears these ICs are a bit fragile, OK in use but if knocked or the amp dropped the IC legs get loose so problems arise. This amp upgrades up very highly. Got us trying the Teac AG-7000 which beats the AS-100 for the higher power & no ICs. Oddly the later production ones are bass limited in the preamp but can be altered. Does have a bit of a 'boop' on turn on which again can be sorted, but both are design matters. Has stepped tone controls. Looks nice with the matching tuner & the stark industial look is timeless & certainly one of the more memorable amps. See 1969 Teac AG-6000 above for our latest verdict on these Teac gems. Still being sold in 1976 as shop ads show. REVISITED 2016: Had one of these in 2016 to upgrade & the stainless steel & black look is very cool. £107 new in 1973 it was priced well with other midprice 40w amps. Even after many amps & a lot of upgrading, this still sounded very decent on first play as original. Now recapped improved further if it still has odd noises on turning on with headphones, we'll try it on speakers when finished. The AG-6000 & AG-7000 receivers from 1969 reviewed above are the same basic amp circuit & the basic IC isn't a problem. One issue with this one revealed the volume control wasn't well matched being 10% different so the L channel was a little lower if the electronics tested fine. Unfortunately to get a loudness volume control with the long post is impossible, so the only option is to add a resistor to balance or leave it be, customer will need to decide. A known weakness in the AS-100 are the regulator diodes, we've seen these replaced before & were here, so we needed to sort that out better. The metal lid has extra threaded holes for rack mounting, there doesn't seem to be any wood side cheeks on this. To find the AS-100 still sounds great with all our progress since shows it certainly is a very decent amp & we'd say it betters the receivers once upgraded. So this is the fourth one of this amp we've had, shows we like it. But issues with this particular one are more to do with previous use & luckily the owner had a spares amp as one IC was faulty & the volume control was out of spec too. Now they have a great reliable amp again, worthy of an 'excellent' if other earlier amps upgrade to give further precision, this is still a worthy amp for it'd era. REVISITED 2018: Stylish amp always worth a revisit & we get one to upgrade that we just missed buying ourselves. Long stored in a damp attic, if a UK model with blanked out AC outlets that aren't fitted & Trio-Kenwood KA-4002a style screw connectors for speakers so it's an early one. Doesn't look much used if needs a good clean. These usually fail on the feeble power supply so to see the original AC diodes is unusual, just 1A ones. Has the Teac 42708 ICs in the preamp, these are probably 2 transistors plus a few resistors, much like the Nikko TRM-1200 Phono stage one used that we had to rebuild in components. Modest looking amp inside, but the same basic Power amp as other Teac of the era use in the 1969 receivers we've had. The amp does appear to vary over it's run, it's a bit lacking in spec on the early ones & does sometimes have an instability on turn on after a few seconds. Teac receivers are reliable, if the AS-100 appears hard to find as several design weaknesses got it thrown out long ago. 1973 price was only £107 when the 1968 AS-200 was £170. This is an early one with screws for Speakers not the later square push blocks. Early Version. The Preamp IC appears to be better spec on the later ones, but the early ones it can go very unstable after use even with no real fault & blow fuses, even once rebuilt with lots of upgrades. Early is TEAC 42708 X, a later with 3X appears better spec. Boards otherwise are identical. Still sounds 'Excellent' but Bass is limited as well as Treble not quite as clean so 'Very Good-Excellent' is fair. Early ones have Screw Speaker conectors & Tan Boards, the later ones have Darker Brown Boards & upgrade better. Would be good to find the IC equivalent as Transistors, but no Data findable. BUY-RAW RATING: Good if a few issues we found in our fourth one as noted. Top lid doesn't have enough paint so usually found in low grade. COOL RATING: 8 no wood case but an appealing Bauhaus styled Industrial quality classy look here with black & aluminium fascia & mirror control knobs, on some versions. (2013-16-18)

1971 Trio-Kenwood KA-2002 amplifier↑
AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Recommended. UPGRADED: Very Good-Excellent. 13w. CC. Not had one of the 13w Trio amplifiers since we started into trying out Vintage amplifiers in 2011. The TK-150 & KA-2000(A) are earlier versions if this is restyled more into the 1971 range such as KA-6004. Short-lived 1971 KA-2002 version as 1972 saw the KA-2002a with updated styling, see the 1972 18w KA-4002a review also as we had both here at the same time to compare. 330mm wide, 238mm deep & 115mm high smaller size amp. Wood, or formica, side panels would be an optional extra as most don't have these. After servicing, the Sound on this is pretty decent, Bass is lacking & a bit thin accentuating the midrange with upper bass a little tubby, but Upgrading will bring out a more natural sound. Treble & upper midrange as with early Trio is still very decent & it'll upgrade well amid itself as it's a little dull compared to reference amps. We never upgraded the KA-2000/TK-150 before to hear how this sounds will be interesting. This will have been a Budget Buy in 1971-73 at around £45, but far from cheap junk like a lot at this price level like the UK & EU stuff often was. The back panel still has high quality connectors like the higher models. Modest size transformer & only 2200µf main capacitor & typical 1960s value of speaker coupling capacitor, with no Differentials. The later KA-2002A from 1972 appears much the same if with Silver control knobs, not mostly black. How does the Circuit differ from the KA-2002? Transistor count is only 6, input, driver, PP drivers & PP outputs, the rest is not exactly the same but not so far different. Output transistors are TO220 15w 2SC1060s which are commonly found in other circuit sections. The HT voltage on this is 42v, not the same as ± HT on semi complimentary which is equivalent of 21v. It's an amp that will upgrade to sound more natural, if for the 13w it'll never be a powerhouse & not one worth upgrading excessively as the power is limited. For general use 13w should be fine, it'll bring a sweet detailed sound with proper bass if not too much, so we'll try it on our 15" Tannoys once it's recapped. Once Recapped except the 3 main ones the dull sound is gone. It sounds a lot more lively with a smooth detailed sound. Stereo isn't as wide as some amps. On Rock Guitar it plays it surprisingly convincingly even at 13w. After the main caps done & Biased right, the amp does sound very decent, if rather small & modest in dynamics compared to the 18w KA-4002a, still has the typical pre 1972 Trio sound, as based on the bigger KA-6004 being less of the earlier sound. Adding soundcard EQ to give a fuller sound, the amp can cope on Headphones & sounds very decent, but with the whole 13w design on Loudspeakers, it'd likely get into clipping. To rate it cautiously as above for the lack of a fuller bass & punchier sound, but you can use an EQ if the Tone Bass doesn't quite do the same thing as per the 13w design & not wanting it to overload. Clean Sine output of 14v is decent for 13w rated, if it shows to Upgrade further to get more out of this will just go into clipping. That upgrading rated it "Very Good". After comparing to the very similar KA-4002a, it is possible to upgrade the rather small sound of this amp into the punchier 4002 sound, if to be aware it still is 13w which gets it rated "VG-EX". An interesting "revisit" of the 1968-69 Trio-Kenwood TK-150/KA-2000. See the 1972 Trio-Kenwood KA-4002a for a comparision. BUY-RAW RATING: Good. COOL RATING: 5 Modest but quality amp looks smart & sound is better than you'd think. (2018)

1971 Trio-Kenwood KR-4140 receiver↑
AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Recommended. UPGRADED: n/a. 18w.CC. A later design, still clean but a bit soft in treble detail but still a good budget buy as a clean sound is here. Several in the ranges numbered similarly, if the less exciting sound than just the year before on a similar lower powered receiver. One to use if not upgrade, most components are on the one board as is the 5150 below. The rating is actually 18w on seeing the specs on the user manual, 18w into 8 ohms both channels driven. Not to put the amp down, it's a decent one for what it is, but the way this was sold in USA as 95w 'Power Output' into 4 ohms, which is Peak Power for 1 second before it destroys. This must have been one of the last to use the dishonest ratings before it was outlawed, the USA manual hypes it very unfairly. Also amps used to put Power Output Continuous per channel, so this rates 24w per channel, meaning you play one channel only, you get 24w. To play it Stereo into 8 ohms, 18w is the rating. But the USA flyer makes no mention of 18w both channels used. Also the power bandwidth is 30Hz-30kHz but no mention of how rolled off it is, from how it sounded it could be -20dB at 15kHz & for an 18w amp 30Hz will be even lower. Bandwidth needs a qualifier in dB of where it's limits are. Did try the similar 5150 below to get a later opinion, but not so impressed with the later receivers & we've not tried any Trio later than 1972 as the quality dips off & ICs become Trio's way to stop us being interesred, see all the Trio amps we've looked at on the 'Other Amps' page in search of a later one. UPDATE: This appears to be the Receiver version of the KA-4002a, if the sound quality is very different, the KR-4140 we thought sounded dull & ordinary to give it the rating here, the KA-4002a you can see we thought was far more lively. Even the KR-5150 below was rated similarly. The bigger KR-6160 appears to be based on the TK-140X Mk II. BUY-RAW RATING: Good. COOL RATING: 7 after seeing the KR-6160 with similar looks, it makes sense, 4140 is still budget grade inside that affected opinion. (2011)

1971 Trio-Kenwood KR-5150 receiver↑
AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Recommended. UPGRADED: n/a. 33w.CC. A modest power T-K with pleasing retro looks. All transistors, no ICs in the audio stages & plays a decent sound & represents a good buy then & now. Pleasing sound if not the extremes of the better amps, but you'd not expect it either. A good starter amp into Vintage, if without the dynamics of an amp 40w or higher. 33w is the Continuous power into 8 ohms with both channels driven rating, the manual shows various confusing ratings. Not much else to say really, the sort of amp that was good enough without anything particularly quality like earlier Trio. 2018 update: We got the bigger KR-6160 as below & thought it a much better amp if the looks front back & lid are actually the same as the 5150 but better insides, it appears more a 7 to 8. Quality inside affected the earlier rating. The KR-5150 we didn't upgrade in 2013 & it seems from upgrading other Trio since that our rating of it is a bit low & now estimate a 'Very Good-Excellent' if upgraded. Probably it was just aged inside & didn't seem very impressive, the KR-6160 sounds aged on first try. This is why we upgrade not to miss the good ones as it looks like we did here. BUY-RAW RATING: Good. COOL RATING: 7 as with the KR-4140, only seeing the lower models with midprice insides hid what is still high quality build, so our '5' is now more fairly a '7'. (2013)

1971 Trio-Kenwood KR-6160 receiver↑
AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Very Good. UPGRADED: Excellent. 55w.CC. A bit of a hidden good amp here & for knowing the KR-4140 & KR-5150 from the same series, surprising we noticed it really, as they were thought not so great, but that was 2011-2013 opinions before recap-upgrading reveals the full story. £195 new in 1972. Clearly the 1971 receiver range was underrated even by us. The KR-6160 is actually the same power amp board as the Trio TK-140X II with the UA1384J which is an updated version of the Trio KA-6000 amplifier. Later ones may have X07-0018-10 which is exactly the same if transistor changes. We thought the 140X II a great amp if ugly looks & a dead tuner despite it upgrading to sound wonderful & bettering the KA-6000 at the time. The looks of the 6160 are nearly the same as the 5150, surprised we rated it quite low based more on the inside quality. Very 1971 looking, the Sony STR-6046A receiver is quite similar, the white "teeth" soft push buttons maybe look a little odd as does the orange border to the Power switch if the weight of this amp at 10.8kg impresses, the other ones were quite lightweight. 6160 adds Stereo Mic & a Midrange Tone Control like the Realistic STA-150/220 does. The 4140-5150-6160 range is now seen to still be the quality of the 1969-70 Trio with wood cases & a good rear panel, the more we see the better we can rate. KR-6160 is the top of the range one if the KR-6170 'Jumbo' 33w one has an Organ type signal generator for some reason. Rear panel on 6160 with 2x Phono, 2x Aux which is needed for TV & DVD player, 1x Tape with DIN duplication, 3x Speaker pairs as the same screws on the KA-4002A. Pre Out-Main In with a switch instead of connectors that get misplaced, AC outlets & rated 320w which from knowing the KA-6000 is probably a modest rating as it has a 4A main fuse which means 960w. Underneath like the 5150 is still the half hardwired construction, if the 6160 is very busy underneath. Features that show this range is still good is the text looks like screen printing, which often wears off, but it's paint in etched engraving so won't wear. Push Button mains a first for Trio-Kenwood this year, if unlike the KA-4002A we had recently, still has the old skinny 2-core mains which was outlawed a few years as not Double Insulated. A good improvement on the TK-140X II is the amp is a bigger size so not so cramped up now & for the 4140 & 5150 tuners working, this should too & does in Stereo. KR-6160 in Context. This appears to be the best "early era" Trio-Kenwood receivers, if looking at our List of Receivers page the 18kg KR-7070 at 65w seems the higher model if seems an earlier number, the manual shows it's likely the same 1971 year as we briefly looked at on 'Other Amps' page, if perhaps designed more for the USA market as so huge. The KR-7070 fussy 'boost amp' doesn't seem such a good idea as likely not bypassable & likely the KR-6160 is the better sounding from knowing the TK-140X II. Main HT on the 6160 is 86v & 7070 is 100v, both still 'capacitor coupled speaker output' designs, the 55w 1972 Trio-Kenwood KR-7200 is the now the Differential-Direct Coupled design if still of quality as no ICs. One year models at this time keep them hard to find. This fills in gaps as later 1974 Trio-Kenwood KR-7400 starts to lose quality with ICs in the Preamp. KR-6160. Back to the amp, one smoker owner likely just left unused in a room for decades, not tested by seller as no plug is good for a change as it works fine, at least plays music adequately. Checked over & a quick service first, we'd never just plug any vintage amp in. Much in need of a service as noisy controls if the sound is lively if crispy & a bit weak sounding as likely not used in 30+ years as the bulbs all work showing low use, it's a Granny amp mostly used for Phono as the inputs are cleaner. We can hear the TK-140X II sound in this & construction, if not having stepped tone, is improved over the 1969 model with preamp Regulators so this should upgrade very nicely. After Servicing the sound is much improved losing the vague "Warm Vintage" sound that some think is good. Does still sound like an original 1971 amp that's not had much use, maybe it got 2 years' use with the Mic level control showing finger use the 'One Careful Lady Owner' likely sang along to the Radio, pity those hearing it. From memory, the KR-6160 here as all original sounds a lot better as it's cleaner & more precise sounding than the KA-6000 & TK-140X did on their first use, only 2-3 years difference. Deep Bass & even Upper Bass is lacking here though, perhaps from the decades unused that hours running in is known to help sometimes. Rock despite bass being light sounds decent with good focus & presence that few amps can do as Original. Also Stereo is very wide on this which again is unusual. One of the Best early Trio amps plus the 1971 Tuner is reliable in the 3 of this range we've had.BUY-RAW RATING: One that sounded good even raw & unserviced, reliable 1971 range. COOL RATING: 7 Points for 1971 Retro looks that are pleasing plus a walnut veneer top lid, not vinyl wrap.(2018)

1971 Yamaha CA-700 amplifier↑
AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Recommended-Very Good. UPGRADED: n/a. 60w.SC, DIFF. One of the earliest Yamahas & a 60w Semi-Complimentary amp. This has a MM and a MC input stage for Phono & both are independent. Just a pity it's all DIN connectors unless you get the Non EU versions. Has the classic neutral Yamaha sound. Only a midprice quirkily built amp unlike the hefty later ones, but interesting. Beware the power amp plug in sockets may crack & fail, though other amps use smaller versions of this type fine & new ones can be got. But there is a lively open sound on these early 1971 CA/CR-700s that is more restrained in the later ones. We did try to upgrade this but the tone board is a strange design that isn't upgrade friendly at all. Before this 1971 range Yamaha mostly only made record player-receivers though there is an AA-70 receiver of about 25w. BUY-RAW RATING: Good if power amp board sockets are intact. COOL RATING: 8 a pretty looking amp with wood veneer case, unlike the 1973-77 Yahama style. (2013)

1971 Yamaha CR-700 receiver↑
AS-ORIGINAL (Once Serviced): Recommended-Very Good. UPGRADED: n/a. 40w.SC, DIFF. One of the earliest Yamahas, Very Good looker, a quirky midprice amp before their higher quality later ones. It's varied in our opinions but actually is deserving of the current rating. All DIN connectors as the CA-700 is. Still has the classic neutral Yamaha sound. But there is a lively open sound on these early 1971 CA/CR-700s that is more restrained in the later ones. For the 40w here it puts out a confident enjoyable sound. On later compares to the CR-1000 & CA-800ii this receiver is no slouch even all orig spec. One criticism is the background hiss is a bit higher than some amps, due to the tone stage. There are 2 versions though, the original 4 transistor one is with correct bass (eg SN 12xx) but a later 6 transistor one (eg SN28xx) is bass light for design alterations. The sound balance of this compares well with the CR-1000 if not as loud. The start of the Yamaha golden years. Not a good match for the early era speakers like Tannoy Golds. BUY-RAW RATING: Good. COOL RATING: 8 as with the matching CA-700 amp, pretty looks functional with a friendly look unlike some harsher looks. (2014)

* See Part Two covering 1972-2007 **PHOTO GALLERY
We've added many pages of photos of the actual amps we had & were taken as they were sold. An unique archive of Serviced, Cleaned & sometimes Upgraded amps with many photos inside & out.

*MORE AMP REVIEWSSee the "Other Amps" page for others we looked at but didn't like or try yet for various reasons, plenty of amps there get a look.